険 — “steep / danger” in Japanese

Grade 5けん, けわ

Radical ⾩ · radical 170 The building block this kanji is filed under

“steep / danger” in Japanese is 険, read ken, kewa (けん, けわ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 危険 (danger).

Try it now

What does 険 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	険
Meaning	steep / danger
Readings	けん, けわ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	危険 (danger)

How to read 険

険 is read ken (けん) or kewa (けわ) depending on the word.

Words with 険

危険きけん
保険
冒険

Learn 険 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 険

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28