錦 means “brocade, finery”

にしき · nishiki

Also: fine dress, honors

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

にしき

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 16 strokes

The story

Gold (金) beside 帛, white (白) cloth (巾): silk shot through with gold. 錦 is brocade, the richest cloth, 錦鯉 are the jewel-colored koi of Japanese ponds, and 故郷に錦を飾る is coming home in glory.

Used in 錦 (nishiki, brocade), 錦鯉 (nishikigoi, ornamental koi), and 錦絵 (nishikie, color woodblock print)

More from Silk & Sleeves

• 繊 fiber
• 履 put on (shoes)
• 縫 sew
• 裸 naked
• 扇 fan
• 羅 net
• 紡 spin (thread)
• 絹 silk
• 袖 sleeve
• 襟 collar
• 蚕 silkworm
• 裾 hem

Learn 錦 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.