硬 — “Stiff / Hard” in Japanese

Master (高手)こう, かた

Radical ⽯ · radical 112 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Stiff / Hard” in Japanese is 硬, read kou, kata (こう, かた). 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 硬貨 (coin).

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What does 硬 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	硬
Meaning	Stiff / Hard
Readings	こう, かた
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	硬貨 (coin)

How to read 硬

硬 is read kou (こう) or kata (かた) depending on the word.

Words with 硬

硬貨

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Kanji read the same way as 硬

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28