堅 — Strict / Hard / Solid / Tough

Master (高手)けん, かた, -がた

Radical ⼟ · radical 32 The building block this kanji is filed under

堅 (readings: けん, かた, -がた; Japanese kanji) means “Strict / Hard / Solid / Tough”. It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 堅固 (solid).

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What does 堅 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	堅
Meaning	Strict / Hard / Solid / Tough
Readings	けん, かた, -がた
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	堅固 (solid)

How to read 堅

堅 is read けん or かた or -がた depending on the word.

Words with 堅

堅固kiên cố

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Updated: 2026-07-22