sabre, sword, blade, clock hand

About this kanji

The kanji 剣 (ken) primarily means "sword" or "blade," and it often appears in compound words related to martial arts and weaponry. It is typically used as a noun. For example, 剣士 (kenshi) means "swordsman," while 剣道 (kendō) refers to the Japanese martial art of sword fighting. Another common compound is 真剣 (shinken), which means "serious" or "earnest," showing the deeper importance of the concept. A usage note is that while 剣 implies a traditional, often curved sword, you might also encounter it referring to a "blade" in a more general sense.

Example sentences

• 彼は剣道の達人だ。

  He is a master of kendo.

Meanings across languages

English

sabre, sword, blade, clock hand

Tiếng Việt

kiếm, thanh kiếm, lưỡi, kim đồng hồ

日本語

剣, 刀, 刃, 時計の針

한국어

검, 칼, 날, 시계바늘

中文

剑, 刀, 刃, 时针

id

pedang

th

ดาบ

es

sable

fr

sabre

de

Säbel

pt

sabres

Common compounds

• 剣士けんしswordsman, swordswoman, fencer
• 剣道けんどうkendo, Japanese martial art using bamboo swords
• 真剣しんけんserious, earnest, real sword (as opposed to a wooden practice weapon)
• 刀剣とうけんsword, dagger, knife
• 銃剣じゅうけんbayonet, guns and swords
• 剣客けんかくmaster swordsman, skilled fencer
• 剣劇けんげきsword play, samurai drama
• 剣豪けんごうgreat swordsman, master fencer

Words using this kanji