鋼 means “steel”

はがね · hagane

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

はがね

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

コウ

Taught in grade 6 · 16 strokes

The story

Metal (金) made firm as a ridge (岡): steel, iron transformed by fire into something unbreakable. Japanese 玉鋼 (tamahagane) steel, smelted in traditional tatara furnaces, contains the perfect carbon content for katana blades. Modern Japan became the world's steel giant, forging the rails and towers of its economic miracle.

Used in 鉄鋼 (tekkou, iron and steel), 鋼鉄 (koutetsu, steel), and 鋼材 (kouzai, steel material)

More from Earth & Minerals

• 層 layer
• 鉱 ore
• 晶 crystal
• 磁 magnet
• 鍛 forge
• 地 earth
• 岩 rock
• 玉 jewel
• 鉄 iron
• 穴 hole
• 原 plain
• 銅 copper

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