固 — “hard / solid” in Japanese

Grade 4こ, かた

Radical ⼞ · radical 31 The building block this kanji is filed under

“hard / solid” in Japanese is 固, read ko, kata (こ, かた). It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 固める (to harden / solidify).

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What does 固 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	固
Meaning	hard / solid
Readings	こ, かた
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	固める (to harden / solidify)

How to read 固

固 is read ko (こ) or kata (かた) depending on the word.

Words with 固

堅固
頑固
固めるhard / solid

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Kanji read the same way as 固

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Updated: 2026-08-28