緊 — “Tense / Solid / Hard / Reliable” in Japanese

Master (高手)きん, し

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

“Tense / Solid / Hard / Reliable” in Japanese is 緊, read kin, shi (きん, し). 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 緊張 (tension).

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What does 緊 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	緊
Meaning	Tense / Solid / Hard / Reliable
Readings	きん, し
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	緊張 (tension)

How to read 緊

緊 is read kin (きん) or shi (し) depending on the word.

Words with 緊

緊急きんきゅう
緊急会議きんきゅうかいぎ
緊張

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Kanji read the same way as 緊

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

Updated: 2026-08-28