crown, best, peerless

About this kanji

The kanji 冠, pronounced as "kan" in on'yomi and "kanmuri" in kun'yomi, primarily means "crown" and symbolizes something that is number one or best. It is often used in nouns rather than verbs. For example, 栄冠 (えいかん) means "laurels" or honors, while 三冠馬 (さんかんば) refers to a horse that wins all three major races in Japan. Another common compound, 冠婚葬祭 (かんこんそうさい), highlights significant ceremonial events in family life, such as weddings and funerals. A usage note is that while it commonly refers to physical crowns, it can also imply being the best in a metaphorical sense.

Example sentences

• その王は冠を被った。

  The king wore a crown.

Meanings across languages

English

crown, best, peerless

Tiếng Việt

vương miện, tốt nhất, vô song

日本語

冠, 最良, 無双

한국어

관, 최고, 비할 데 없는

中文

冠, 最好的, 无与伦比

id

mahkota

th

มงกุฎ

es

corona

fr

couronne

de

Krone

pt

coroa

Common compounds

• 栄冠えいかんlaurels, garland
• 三冠馬さんかんばwinner of Japan's three main horse races
• 冠婚葬祭かんこんそうさいimportant ceremonial occasions in family relationships
• 王冠おうかんcrown, diadem, bottle cap
• 冠水かんすいbeing covered with water (i.e. in a flood), being submerged, being inundated
• 三冠王さんかんおうwinner of triple crown
• 無冠むかんuncrowned, without rank, having no championship wins
• 宝冠ほうかんdiadem, jeweled crown

Words using this kanji