How to say 'Hard' in Japanese | 堅い

Wondering how to say 'Hard' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Hard is 'Katai', written as 堅い in Japanese.'Hard' in hiragana is かたい.

word

堅い

Meaning

Hard

Reading

かたい

katai

Kanji

堅Firm, Solid

Explanation

The Japanese adjective '堅い (かたい)' primarily means 'hard' in the sense of being firm or solid. It is used to describe objects that are physically hard, such as wood or metal. However, it can also be used metaphorically to describe something that is strict, rigid, or inflexible, such as rules or attitudes. For example: this bread is hard「このパンは堅い」(このパンはかたい). His attitude is rigid「彼の態度は堅い」(かれのたいどはかたい). Additionally, '堅い' can imply reliability or trustworthiness, as in a person who is dependable. For example: he is a reliable person「彼は堅い人だ」(かれはかたいひとだ).

Part Of Speech

adjective

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

5273

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 堅い

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

堅

Meaning

Firm, Solid

Hiragana in the Word 堅い

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

い

Reading

Learn the Word 堅い

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Katai' (堅い) mean?

'Katai' means 'Hard' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.