堅 means “firm, solid, steady”

かたい · katai

Also: strict, hard, tough

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

かたい

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ケン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 12 strokes

The story

A watchful eye (臣) and a hand (又) pressed down on earth (土): picture packing soil until it is rock-hard. 堅い is firm and solid, 堅実 steady and sound, and 中堅 the mid-career backbone of a company.

Used in 堅い (katai, firm/solid), 中堅 (chuuken, backbone/mid-level), and 堅実 (kenjitsu, steady/reliable)

More from Bold & Fierce

• 豪 mighty
• 猛 ferocious
• 冒 risk
• 烈 fierce
• 剛 sturdy
• 酷 cruel
• 壮 robust
• 敢 daring
• 激 intense
• 厳 strict

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

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