頑 — Stubborn / Foolish / Firmly

Master (高手)がん, かたく

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

頑 (readings: がん, かたく; Japanese kanji) means “Stubborn / Foolish / Firmly”. 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 がん or かたく depending on the word.

Words with 頑

頑固ngoan cố

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Updated: 2026-07-22