What is the Kanji for 'Armor' and 'Shell'? | 甲

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for 'Armor' and 'Shell', you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for 'Armor' and 'Shell' is 甲.

kanji

甲

Meaning

Armor, Shell

Reading

kunyomiか

onyomiこう

kou

かん

kan

Parts

田Rice field ｜

Example Word

甲: shell or first. The Japanese noun '甲 (こう)' has two distinct meanings. The first meaning refers to the shell of a turtle or tortoise, often used in traditional contexts or literature. For example: the turtle's shell is hard「亀の甲は硬い」(かめのこうはかたい). The second meaning is 'first' in a sequence, such as in the traditional ordering system (甲, 乙, 丙, etc.), which is similar to 'A, B, C' in English. For example: this is the first item「これは甲の項目です」(これはこうのこうもくです). The word is also used in compound words like '甲羅 (こうら)' (shell) or '甲乙 (こうおつ)' (first and second).

Radical

田

Stroke Count

JLPT

Grade

Frequency

696

Handwriting

Parts of the Kanji 甲

If you visually break down this kanji, you can see it is made up of 2 parts:

kanji

田

Meaning

Rice field

component

｜

甲 As Part Of Other Kanji

This kanji appears as part of 2 other kanji:

kanji

押

Meaning

Push, Press down

kanji

岬

Meaning

Cape, Promontory

Words Using 甲

This kanji is used in 1 word:

word

甲

Meaning

Shell, First

Kanji Related to 甲 Through the Part 田

These 26 kanji contain the part 田 as well.

kanji

男

Meaning

Man

kanji

町

Meaning

Town

kanji

細

Meaning

Slender

kanji

里

Meaning

Hometown

kanji

思

Meaning

Think

kanji

魚

Meaning

Fish

kanji

番

Meaning

Turn

kanji

界

Meaning

World

kanji

果

Meaning

Fruit

kanji

畑

Meaning

Field

kanji

雷

Meaning

Thunder, Lightning

kanji

異

Meaning

Rare, Different

kanji

略

Meaning

Abbreviation, Strategy

kanji

胃

Meaning

Stomach

kanji

捜

Meaning

kanji

奮

Meaning

Invigorated

kanji

累

Meaning

Accumulate

kanji

鼻

Meaning

Nose

kanji

畜

Meaning

Livestock

kanji

畳

Meaning

Tatami, Fold up

kanji

塁

Meaning

Base, Small fort

kanji

苗

Meaning

Seedling

kanji

畔

Meaning

Edge of, Shore

kanji

畏

Meaning

Apprehensive

kanji

曽

Meaning

Formerly

kanji

畿

Meaning

Capital, Suburbs of capital

Learn the Kanji 甲

Let's make sure you fully understand this kanji.

What does 甲 mean?

甲 means 'Armor' and 'Shell'.

Japanese school students learn this kanji in Junior Highschool, while non-native learners often study it for the JLPT N1 exam.

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