頑 — “Stubborn / Foolish / Firmly” in Japanese

Master (高手)がん, かたく

Radical ⾴ · radical 181 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Stubborn / Foolish / Firmly” in Japanese is 頑, read gan, kataku (がん, かたく). 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 頑固 (stubborn).

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What does 頑 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	頑
Meaning	Stubborn / Foolish / Firmly
Readings	がん, かたく
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	頑固 (stubborn)

How to read 頑

頑 is read gan (がん) or kataku (かたく) depending on the word.

Words with 頑

頑固

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Kanji read the same way as 頑

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

Updated: 2026-08-28