What is the Kanji for "Sharpen"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Sharpen" is "研".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "To".

Its onyomi reading is "Ken".

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 "石" means "Stone" and can be read as "Ishi", "Seki", and "Shaku". And The radical "开" means "Open" .

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

What does the kanji "研" mean in japanese?

"研" means "Sharpen" .

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Third Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

研究: "Study". The Japanese verbal noun '研究 (けんきゅう)' means 'study'. This term refers to the systematic investigation or examination of a subject or topic in order to discover new facts or principles. It can be used to describe academic research, scientific investigation, or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject matter. For example: I am conducting research on Japanese history - (私は日本史について研究をしている). Scientific research is important - (科学的研究は重要である).

研修: "Training". The Japanese noun '研修 (けんしゅう)' refers to training or instruction, often in a professional or educational context. It can involve activities such as lectures, workshops, or hands-on practice to develop new skills or knowledge. For example: She is currently undergoing training for her new job - (彼女は新しい仕事の研修を受けている). The company provides regular training sessions for its employees - (会社は従業員に定期的な研修を提供している).

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 "け" is read as "ke". The hiragana "ん" is read as "n". And The hiragana "と" is read as "to".