顕 means “manifest, become clear”

けん · ken

Also: appear, existing

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

あきらか, あらわれる

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ケン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 18 strokes

The story

A head (頁) bent beside the sun (日) and 业, once silk threads (絲): the old account is of peering at fine silk in sunlight until it shows. 顕 makes the tiny visible: a 顕微鏡 is a microscope, and 顕著 is plainly obvious.

Used in 顕微鏡 (kenbikyou, microscope), 顕著 (kencho, striking/remarkable), and 顕在 (kenzai, actual/out in the open)

More from Hidden & Hazy

• 伏 lie face down
• 漠 vague
• 錯 mixed up
• 謎 riddle
• 匿 hide
• 妄 delusion
• 蔽 cover
• 曖 dim
• 昧 dark
• 踪 trail
• 惑 be bewildered
• 密 secret

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

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