# 硬 — hard; stiff

硬 means “hard; stiff”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 12 strokes. On'yomi: コウ (kou). Kun'yomi: かた(い) (katai). You'll see it in words such as 硬さ (katasa, “firmness; hardness”).

- Meaning: hard; stiff
- On'yomi: コウ (kou)
- Kun'yomi: かた(い) (katai)
- Strokes: 12
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Qualities 4

## How to remember 硬

Sounds like 更: both read コウ.

Parts: 石 stone · 更 change

## Words with 硬

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 硬さ | かたさ (katasa) | firmness; hardness |
| 硬い | かたい (katai) | hard; solid |

## Don't confuse it with

[梗](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/bellflower/) · [便](https://moji.ninja/n4-kanji/convenient/)

## More in the “Qualities 4” set

[仮](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/temporary/) · [純](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/genuine/) · [荒](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/rough/) · [硬](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/hard/) · [賢](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/wise/) · [柔](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pliant/) · [濃](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/dense/)

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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/n2-kanji/hard/. Last updated 2026-11-01.