Explore 賢 in words for intelligence and wisdom. Learn each reading with a whole word and its context.
The idea
賢 has 16 strokes; follow the linked diagram. 賢い（かしこい） is an i-adjective; 賢明（けんめい） is a na-adjective, and 賢者（けんじゃ） is a noun.
| Word | Reading |
|---|---|
| 賢い | かしこい |
| 賢明 | けんめい |
| 賢者 | けんじゃ |
Examples
- 犬は賢いです。That dog is clever.
- 彼女は賢い子です。She is a clever child.
- 今は待つのが賢明です。It is wise to wait now.
- 彼は賢明な判断をしました。He made a wise decision.
- 賢者についての本を読みました。I read a book about a sage.
- 賢者は質問に答えました。The sage answered the question.
Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.
No Japanese device voice is available. You can still read the text and use the linked listening resources.
Watch out
賢い describes someone or something as clever; 賢明 often describes sound judgment. Do not read every word containing 賢 as かしこい.
Try it yourself
Write the reading of 賢い in hiragana.
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かしこい
賢い is かしこい, including the final い. It describes a clever dog in the first example.
Write the reading of 賢明 in hiragana.
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けんめい
賢明 is けんめい. Before a noun it takes な, as in 賢明な判断.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿者（けんじゃ）［賢／貧］.
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賢
賢 completes 賢者（けんじゃ）, a sage or wise person.
Practice round
Answer questions, then rebuild Japanese sentences where available. We keep your score.
Write the reading of 賢い in hiragana.
Write the reading of 賢明 in hiragana.
Choose the missing kanji: ＿者（けんじゃ）［賢／貧］.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
Tap the words in the right order.
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Write 賢 following the diagram. Cover the table, read the three words, then describe a wise decision.