mysterious, profound, dark
On'yomi (音読み)
- ゲン
- ハン
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
—
About this kanji
The kanji "玄" primarily means mysterious or profound, often relating to the idea of something deep or dark. It is typically used in compound words rather than as a standalone term. One common word is "玄関" (げんかん), which means entrance, especially the area where you take off your shoes before entering a house. Another important compound is "玄人" (くろうと), meaning expert, implying someone who has deep knowledge of a particular field. Additionally, "神秘" (しんぴ) translates to mystery, highlighting the kanji's connection to the unknown. It's worth noting that this kanji does not have any native Japanese readings, making its Sino-Japanese pronunciations especially important to learn.
Built from
Example sentences
玄関には靴が並んでいる。
Shoes are lined up at the entrance.
Meanings across languages
- English
- mysterious, profound, dark
- Tiếng Việt
- huyền bí, sâu sắc, tối
- 日本語
- 神秘, 深い, 暗い
- 한국어
- 신비한
- 中文
- 神秘的
- id
- misterius
- th
- ลึกลับ
- es
- misterioso
- fr
- mystérieux
- de
- mysteriös
- pt
- misterioso
Common compounds
- 玄関げんかんentrance, foyer
- 玄人くろうとexpert, professional
- 神秘しんぴmystery, mysteriousness
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.