# 凝 — congeal; stiffen

凝 means “congeal; stiffen”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 16 strokes. On'yomi: ギョウ (gyou). Kun'yomi: こ(る) (koru). You'll see it in words such as 凝る (koru, “to become stiff”).

- Meaning: congeal; stiffen
- On'yomi: ギョウ (gyou)
- Kun'yomi: こ(る) (koru)
- Strokes: 16
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Change & making

## How to remember 凝

Parts: 冫 ice · 疑 doubt

## Words with 凝

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 凝る | こる (koru) | to become stiff |
| 凝った | こった (kotta) | elaborate; exquisite |
| 凝らす | こらす (korasu) | to concentrate; to focus on |

## Don't confuse it with

[疑](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/doubt/) · [擬](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/mimic/)

## More in the “Change & making” set

[融](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/fuse/) · [廃](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/abolish/) · [創](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/originate/) · [縮](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/shrink/) · [衰](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/decline/) · [翻](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/turn-over/) · [凝](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/congeal/) · [矯](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/straighten/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/congeal/. Last updated 2026-11-01.