倹 means “frugal, thrifty”

けん · ken

Also: economy

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

つましい, つづまやか

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ケン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

A person (亻) beside the part that also sits in 検, to check: picture someone checking every coin before it leaves the purse. 倹約 is thrift, and 質素倹約, a plain and frugal life, is what the Edo shogunate ordered in its great reforms.

Used in 倹約 (ken'yaku, thrift), 倹約家 (ken'yakuka, thrifty person), and 質素倹約 (shisso ken'yaku, plain and frugal living)

More from Plenty & Want

• 貪 greedy
• 裕 ample
• 糧 provisions
• 剰 excess
• 乏 scarce
• 飢 starve
• 餓 starvation
• 窮 cornered
• 飽 tire of

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