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JLPT N116画 · 16 strokesradical 金grade 6freq #1246

steel

On'yomi (音読み)

  • コウ

Kun'yomi (訓読み)

  • はがね

Mnemonic

Imagine a sturdy steel sword forged by a blacksmith, where the shining metal glistens like a precious treasure, representing strength and resilience.

About this kanji

The kanji 「鋼」 (pronounced as こう or はがね) primarily means 'steel.' It commonly appears in nouns rather than verbs. You will often see it in compound words like 鉄鋼 (てっこう), meaning 'iron and steel,' and 鋼材 (こうざい), which refers to 'steel material.' Another example is 製鋼 (せいこう), meaning 'steel manufacture.' A usage note to keep in mind is that this kanji is typically used in contexts related to industrial materials or construction, reflecting its strong and robust nature. When learning it, think of how essential steel is to modern infrastructure.

Example sentences

  • 鋼の強度は驚くべきだ。

    The strength of steel is remarkable.

Meanings across languages

English
steel
Tiếng Việt
thép
日本語
한국어
강철
中文
id
baja
th
เหล็ก
es
acero
fr
acier
de
Stahl
pt
aço

Common compounds

  • 鉄鋼てっこうiron and steel
  • 鋼材こうざいsteel material
  • 製鋼せいこうsteel manufacture
  • 鋼板こうはんsteel sheet, steel plate
  • 粗鋼そこうcrude steel
  • 鋼管こうかんsteel pipe
  • 鋼鉄こうてつsteel
  • 丸鋼まるこうround steel bar

Want to actually learn this kanji?

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