# 厳 — strict; solemn

厳 means “strict; solemn”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 17 strokes. On'yomi: ゲン (gen), ゴン (gon). Kun'yomi: おごそ(か) (ogosoka), きび(しい) (kibishii). You'll see it in words such as 厳しい (kibishii, “severe; strict”).

- Meaning: strict; solemn
- On'yomi: ゲン (gen), ゴン (gon)
- Kun'yomi: おごそ(か) (ogosoka), きび(しい) (kibishii)
- Strokes: 17
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Qualities 1

## How to remember 厳

Parts: ⺍ sparkle · 厂 cliff · 敢 daring

## Words with 厳

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 厳しい | きびしい (kibishii) | severe; strict |
| 厳しさ | きびしさ (kibishisa) | severity; strictness |
| 厳か | おごそか (ogosoka) | solemn; austere |

## More in the “Qualities 1” set

[態](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/attitude/) · [鮮](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/fresh/) · [激](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/intense/) · [厳](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/strict/) · [緊](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/tense/) · [盛](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/thrive/) · [密](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/density/) · [秀](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/excel/) · [緩](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/loose/)

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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/strict/. Last updated 2026-11-01.