What is the Kanji for "Sword"?

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

The Japanese Kanji for "Sword" is "剣".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Tsurugi".

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 component "㑒" . And The radical "刂" means "Sword" .

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

What does the kanji "剣" mean in japanese?

"剣" means "Sword" .

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Junior Highschool, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N1 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

剣: "Sword". The Japanese noun '剣 (けん)' refers to a 'sword'. This term is used to describe a bladed weapon typically used in combat or martial arts. It carries historical and cultural significance in Japan, often associated with samurai and traditional Japanese swordsmanship. Example sentences: He wielded a sharp sword「彼は鋭い剣を振るった」(かれはするどいけんをふるった). The sword is a symbol of the samurai「剣は侍の象徴だ」(けんはさむらいのしょうちょうだ). Note that '剣' can also appear in compound words, such as '剣術 (けんじゅつ)' meaning 'swordsmanship'.

真剣: "Serious". The Japanese adjective '真剣 (しんけん)' means 'serious'. It is used to describe a person's attitude, behavior, or approach when they are deeply focused, earnest, or sincere about something. It often implies a lack of frivolity or playfulness. For example: He is serious about his studies「彼は勉強に真剣です」(かれはべんきょうにしんけんです). She gave a serious answer「彼女は真剣な答えを出した」(かのじょはしんけんなこたえをだした). This word can also describe situations or actions that are carried out with full commitment or gravity, such as '真剣な話 (しんけんなはなし)' (a serious conversation).

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". The hiragana "つ" is read as "tsu". The hiragana "る" is read as "ru". And The hiragana "ぎ" is read as "gi".

kanji

剣

Meaning

Sword

Reading

onyomiけんkunyomiつるぎ

Parts

㑒刂Sword (刀)

Handwriting

Example Word

剣: sword. The Japanese noun '剣 (けん)' refers to a 'sword'. This term is used to describe a bladed weapon typically used in combat or martial arts. It carries historical and cultural significance in Japan, often associated with samurai and traditional Japanese swordsmanship. Example sentences: He wielded a sharp sword「彼は鋭い剣を振るった」(かれはするどいけんをふるった). The sword is a symbol of the samurai「剣は侍の象徴だ」(けんはさむらいのしょうちょうだ). Note that '剣' can also appear in compound words, such as '剣術 (けんじゅつ)' meaning 'swordsmanship'.

kana

け

Reading

Handwriting

kana

ん

Reading

Handwriting

kana

つ

Reading

Tsu

Handwriting

kana

る

Reading

Handwriting

kana

ぎ

Reading

Handwriting