# 固 — solid; firm

固 means “solid; firm”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 8 strokes. On'yomi: コ (ko). Kun'yomi: かた(める) (katameru). You'll see it in words such as 固める (katameru, “to harden; to freeze”).

- Meaning: solid; firm
- On'yomi: コ (ko)
- Kun'yomi: かた(める) (katameru)
- Strokes: 8
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Qualities 2

## How to remember 固

Sounds like 古: both read コ.

Parts: 囗 enclosure · 古 old

## Words with 固

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 固める | かためる (katameru) | to harden; to freeze |
| 固さ | かたさ (katasa) | firmness; hardness |
| 固まる | かたまる (katamaru) | to harden; to solidify |

## Don't confuse it with

[個](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/individual/) · [古](https://moji.ninja/n5-kanji/old/) · [回](https://moji.ninja/n4-kanji/times/) · [苦](https://moji.ninja/n3-kanji/bitter/)

## More in the “Qualities 2” set

[圧](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/pressure/) · [固](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/solid/) · [精](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/refined/) · [普](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/universal/) · [豊](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/abundant/) · [静](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/quiet/) · [善](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/virtuous/) · [絶](https://moji.ninja/n2-kanji/sever/)

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