賢 — “Intelligent / Wise / Wisdom / Cleverness” in Japanese

Master (高手)けん, かしこ

Radical ⾙ · radical 154 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Intelligent / Wise / Wisdom / Cleverness” in Japanese is 賢, read ken, kashiko (けん, かしこ). 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 賢明 (wise).

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What does 賢 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	賢
Meaning	Intelligent / Wise / Wisdom / Cleverness
Readings	けん, かしこ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	賢明 (wise)

How to read 賢

賢 is read ken (けん) or kashiko (かしこ) depending on the word.

Words with 賢

賢明

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Kanji read the same way as 賢

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

Updated: 2026-08-28