剣 means “sword, swordsmanship”

けん · ken

Also: sabre, blade, clock hand

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

つるぎ

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ケン

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 10 strokes

The story

A blade (刂) beside the shape that also sits on the right of 険 and 検: a sword. 剣道 is the way of the sword, and 真剣, a real blade instead of a bamboo practice one, is how Japanese says deadly serious.

Used in 剣道 (kendou, kendo), 真剣 (shinken, serious/earnest), and 短剣 (tanken, dagger)

More from Arms & the Hunt

• 盾 shield
• 矛 spear
• 釣 fish (with a line)
• 狩 hunt
• 弓 bow (archery)
• 猟 hunting (game)
• 捉 grasp
• 斬 slash
• 餌 bait
• 弾 bullet
• 射 shoot
• 獲 catch

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

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