What is the Kanji for "Extreme" and "Pole"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Extreme" and "Pole", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Extreme" and "Pole" is "極".

This kanji has 3 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Kiwa".

Its onyomi readings are "Kyoku" and "Goku".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "木" means "Tree" and "Wood" and can be read as "Boku", "Ki", "Moku", and "Ko". And The component "亟" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "極" mean in japanese?

"極" means "Extreme" and "Pole".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Fourth Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N2 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

極めて: "Extremely". The adverb '極めて (きわめて)' means 'extremely'. It is used to intensify the meaning of the word or phrase it modifies, conveying a very high degree or intensity. It can be used with adjectives, verbs, and other adverbs to emphasize the level or extent of the action or quality. For example: He is extremely intelligent - (彼は極めて賢い). The weather is extremely hot today - (今日の天気は極めて暑い).

積極: "Initiative". The noun '積極 (せっきょく)' refers to 'initiative' - the ability or willingness to take action without being prompted or instructed to do so. It implies being proactive and taking the lead in a situation. This word is often used to describe a positive and assertive attitude, such as someone who shows '積極性' (initiative) at work. For example: She has a lot of initiative in her job - (彼女は仕事にとても積極的だ). He lacks initiative - (彼は積極性がない).

極く: "Very". The adverb '極く (ごく)' means 'very'. It is used to intensify the meaning of an adjective or another adverb. For example: It's very hot - (極く暑い). I drive very fast - (極く速く運転する).

消極的: "Passive" or "Reluctant". The Japanese adjective '消極的 (しょうきょくてき)' means 'passive' or 'reluctant'. This adjective is used to describe someone or something that is not active, enthusiastic or assertive. It can describe a person who is hesitant to take action or express their opinions strongly. For example: He was passive about joining the club - (彼は部活への参加に消極的だった). Her attitude was reluctant - (彼女の態度は消極的だった).

極端: "Extreme" or "Excessive". The Japanese adjectival noun '極端 (きょくたん)' can mean 'extreme' or 'excessive'. It is used to describe something that extends beyond the usual limits or that is present to an unusual degree. '極端な' can modify nouns to indicate something is at an extreme level, for example: 極端な行動 (kyokutan na kōdō) - extreme behavior. '極端' can also be used as a noun to refer to an extreme position or view, for example: 極端に偏る (kyokutan ni katayoru) - to lean to an extreme.

積極的: "Proactive" or "Active". The Japanese adjective '積極的 (せっきょくてき)' means 'proactive' or 'active'. This adjective describes a person or action that is eager, enthusiastic, and willing to take the initiative. It implies a positive, assertive attitude. For example: She is a very proactive employee - (彼女はとても積極的な社員です). They took a proactive approach to solving the problem - (彼らは問題の解決に積極的なアプローチをとった).

南極: "Antarctica". The Japanese word '南極 (なんきょく)' refers to the Antarctic, the southernmost continent on Earth. It is an extremely cold, dry, and windy place, covered almost entirely by ice sheets. This region is known for its unique ecosystem, diverse wildlife, and scientific research stations. For example: The scientists are studying climate change in Antarctica - (南極で科学者たちは気候変動を研究しています). I want to visit Antarctica someday - (いつか南極に行きたい).

北極: "North Pole". The Japanese word '北極 (ほっきょく)' refers to the northernmost point on Earth, also known as the North Pole. This geographical location is characterized by extremely cold temperatures, ice, and snow. The North Pole is an important point of reference for navigation and geographical study. For example: We traveled all the way to the North Pole - (私たちは北極まで行きました)。The expedition reached the North Pole - (探検隊は北極に到達しました).

究極: "Ultimate". The noun '究極 (きゅうきょく)' refers to the 'ultimate' or 'final' state, stage or condition of something. It implies the highest, most extreme or most perfect form of something. For example: This is the ultimate challenge - (これは究極の挑戦だ). The ultimate goal is world peace - (究極の目標は世界平和だ).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "き" is read as "ki". The hiragana "く" is read as "ku". The hiragana "ご" is read as "go". And The hiragana "わ" is read as "wa".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.