鋭 means “sharp, keen”

するどい · surudoi

Also: pointed, sharpness, edge, weapon

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

するどい

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

エイ

JLPT N2 · Taught in secondary school · 15 strokes

The story

Metal (金) with the excess stripped away (兑, the piece that also sits in 脱, to take off): an edge ground fine. 鋭い is sharp, for blades, eyes and minds alike, and 精鋭 are the elite few.

Used in 鋭い (surudoi, sharp), 鋭角 (eikaku, acute angle), and 新鋭 (shin'ei, rising star)

More from Hard & Soft

• 鈍 dull
• 清 pure
• 固 harden
• 豊 abundant
• 巨 giant
• 荒 rough
• 硬 hard
• 柔 soft
• 軟 soft

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

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