# 険

| 険 | U+967A, &#38522; 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)
* 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

(Fifth grade kyōiku kanji, shinjitai kanji, kyūjitai form 險)
* steep, severe, perilous

#### Readings

* Go-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)
* Kan-on: けん (ken, Jōyō)
* 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)
* 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—
* 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.
* 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))
* 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—
* (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))
* high and steep (of mountain)