緊 — Tense / Solid / Hard / Reliable

Master (高手)きん, し

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

緊 (readings: きん, し; Japanese kanji) means “Tense / Solid / Hard / Reliable”. 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 きん or し depending on the word.

Words with 緊

緊急きんきゅうkhẩn cấp
緊急会議きんきゅうかいぎhọp khẩn cấp
緊張căng thẳng

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Updated: 2026-07-22