険

See also: 險 and 险

険 U+967A, 険 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-967A ← 陹 [U+9679] CJK Unified Ideographs 陻 → [U+967B]

Translingual

Traditional	險
Shinjitai	険
Simplified	险

Etymology

Japanese shinjitai simplified from 險 (僉 → 㑒).

Han character

険 (Kangxi radical 170, 阜+8, 11 strokes, cangjie input 弓中人一人 (NLOMO) or 難弓中人一 (XNLOM), composition ⿰阝㑒)

1. narrow pass, strategic point

Related characters

• 検, 験, 剣

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: not present, would follow page 1355, character 11
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 41721
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): not present, would follow volume 6, page 4138, character 4
• Unihan data for U+967A

Japanese

Shinjitai	険
Kyūjitai	險

Kanji

険

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 險)

1. steep, severe, perilous

Readings

• Go-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)^{←けん (ken, historical)←けむ (kemu, ancient)}
• Kan-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)^{←けん (ken, historical)←けむ (kemu, ancient)}
• Kun: けわしい (kewashii, 険しい, Jōyō)、さがし (sagashi, 険し)
• Nanori: たか (taka)、のり (nori)

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
険
けん Grade: 5
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
險 (kyūjitai)

Noun

険(けん) • (ken) 

1. steepness (of mountain); steep land
   • Kaizan Nakazato (1913-1941) Dai-bosatsu tōge (大菩薩峠)

     江戸(えど)を出(で)て、武(ぶ)州(しゅう)八(はち)王(おう)子(じ)の宿(やど)から小(こ)仏(ぼとけ)、笹(ささ)子(ご)の険(けん)を越(こ)えて甲(こう)府(ふ)へ出(で)る、それがいわゆる甲(こう)州(しゅう)街(かい)道(どう)で

     Edo o dete, Bushū Hachiōji no yado kara Kobotoke, Sasago no ken o koete Kōfu e deru, sore ga iwayuru Kōshū kaidō de

     Go out from Edo, from the post-town Hachiōji, Musashi via steep lands of Kobotoke and Sasago to Kōfu; that is what we call Kōshū Kaidō and—

2. hardness, difficulty
   • Ishii Kendō (w:ja:石井研堂) (1906) Chōyu Hijutsu Tsurishi Katagi (釣遊秘術釣師気質)

     不快(ふかい)の言(げん)を聴(き)き、不快(ふかい)の物(もの)を見(み)れば、神(しん)を害(がい)し、険(けん)を冒(おか)し危(き)を踏(ふ)めば、生(せい)を害(がい)す。

     Fukai no gen o kiki, fukai no mono o mireba, shin o gaishi, ken o okashi ki o fumeba, sei o gaisu.

     If you hear unpleasant words and see unpleasant things, they'll harm your mind; if you risk the difficulty and step on the danger, they'll harm your life.

3. a cold and severe feeling that appears in the facial and speech expressions; sternness
   • Yoshio Toyoshima (w:ja:豊島与志雄) (1952) Hanako no chinjutsu (花子の陳述)

     そして美津子(みつこ)さんは急(きゅう)に痩(や)せてきたようで、もともと引(ひき)緊(つ)っていた頬(ほお)の肉(にく)が、一(いっ)層緊(そうきん)張(ちょう)してきて、黒(くろ)目(め)がちな眼(め)に、険(けん)のある陰(かげ)が深(ふか)まってきました。

     soshite Mitsuko-san wa kyū ni yasete kita yō de, motomoto hikitsutteita hō no nikuga, issō kinchō shite kite, kurome-gachi na me ni, ken no aru kage ga fukamatte kimashita.

     And Mitsuko-san seemed to have suddenly skinny; the flesh on her cheeks which had been originally tense, became even more tense, and on her black eyes, shadow of sternness was getting deeper.

Adjective

険(けん) • (ken) -na (adnominal 険(けん)な (ken na), adverbial 険(けん)に (ken ni))

1. stern
   • Kyōka Izumi (1910) Uta andon (歌行灯)

     其(そ)の嫉(しっ)妬(と)執(しゅう)着(ちゃく)の、険(けん)な不思議(ふしぎ)の形相(ぎょうそう)が

     sono shitto shūchaku no, ken na fushigi no gyōsō ga

     That jealousy and obsession, its stern strange look—

2. (dialectal, Kōchi) steep

   険(けん)な山(やま)やき、気(き)をつけて登(のぼ)りや。

   Ken na yama ya ki, ki o tsukete noboriya.

   'Tis steep mountain, so be careful to climb.

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
険
さが Grade: 5
kun'yomi

Alternative spellings
險 (kyūjitai) 嵯峨

Adjective

険(さが) • (saga) ^†-tari (adnominal 険(さが)とした (saga to shita) or 険(さが)たる (saga taru), adverbial 険(さが)と (saga to) or 険(さが)として (saga to shite))

1. high and steep (of mountain)