厳
厳 — Stern
stern, strictness, severity, rigidity
On’yomiゲン (gen)
On’yomiゴン (gon)
Kun’yomiおごそか (ogosoka)
Kun’yomiきびしい (kibishii)
Kun’yomiいかめしい (ikameshii)
Kun’yomiいつくし (itsukushi)
Stroke order (17 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 厳
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 厳しさ | きびしさ kibishisa | severity; strictness; intensity |
| 厳重 | げんじゅう genjuu | strict; severe; stringent |
| 尊厳 | そんげん songen | dignity; majesty; sanctity |
| 厳格 | げんかく genkaku | strict; severe; stern |
| 厳密 | げんみつ genmitsu | strict; close; precise |
| 厳粛 | げんしゅく genshuku | grave; solemn; serious |
Study notes
厳 is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 17 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 6), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #638 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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