絹 — “silk” in Japanese

Grade 6けん, きぬ

Radical ⽷ · radical 120 The building block this kanji is filed under

“silk” in Japanese is 絹, read ken, kinu (けん, きぬ). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 絹糸 (silk thread).

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What does 絹 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	絹
Meaning	silk
Readings	けん, きぬ
Grade	Grade 6 (Hardest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	絹糸 (silk thread)

How to read 絹

絹 is read ken (けん) or kinu (きぬ) depending on the word.

Words with 絹

絹糸

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Kanji read the same way as 絹

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Updated: 2026-08-28