Explore 険 in landscapes and in words about risk. Learn each reading together with the whole word.

The idea

険 has 11 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. 険しい（けわしい） is an i-adjective; compounds such as 危険（きけん）, 冒険（ぼうけん） and 保険（ほけん） use けん.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
険しいけわしいThe mountain path is steep.
危険きけんThis road is dangerous at night.
冒険ぼうけんWe enjoyed an adventure on the island.
保険ほけんI took out travel insurance.

Examples

  • 山道やまみちは険けわしいです。The mountain path is steep.
  • この道みちは夜よるは危険きけんです。This road is dangerous at night.
  • 島しまで冒険ぼうけんを楽たのしみました。We enjoyed an adventure on the island.
  • 旅行りょこうの保険ほけんに入はいりました。I took out travel insurance.
  • 彼女かのじょの表情ひょうじょうは険けわしかったです。Her expression was stern.
  • あの登のぼりは険けわしかったですが、景色けしきはきれいでした。That climb was steep, but the view was beautiful.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

険しい can describe a steep path or a stern expression. 危険 means danger, while 保険 is insurance; do not assume every compound means a steep place.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 険しい in hiragana.

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    けわしい

    険しい is けわしい: the mountain path is steep. Keep the しい ending with the reading.

  2. Write the reading of 危険 in hiragana.

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    きけん

    危険 is きけん, meaning danger or dangerous. The compound uses けん.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 保＿（ほけん）［険／検］.

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    険

    険 completes 保険（ほけん）, insurance; 検 is a different character.

Use it today

Write 険 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 険しい and 危険 aloud, then make a sentence using one of them.