肝 means “liver, vital point, nerve”

かん · kan

Also: pluck, chutzpah

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading): きも
On'yomi (Chinese reading): カン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 7 strokes

The story

Flesh (月) beside 干, which looks like a stout post: picture the liver as a pillar of the body. 肝臓 is the liver, 肝心 is the crucial point, and on summer nights Japanese kids test their nerve with a 肝試し, a dare walk somewhere spooky.

Used in 肝臓 (kanzou, liver), 肝心 (kanjin, essential/crucial), and 肝試し (kimodameshi, test of courage)

肝 means “liver, vital point, nerve”

The story

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