# 賢 — wise; clever

賢 means “wise; clever”. It is a JLPT N2 kanji written with 16 strokes. On'yomi: ケン (ken). Kun'yomi: かしこ(い) (kashikoi). You'll see it in words such as 賢い (kashikoi, “wise; clever”).

- Meaning: wise; clever
- On'yomi: ケン (ken)
- Kun'yomi: かしこ(い) (kashikoi)
- Strokes: 16
- Level: JLPT N2 · set Qualities 4

## How to remember 賢

Parts: 臣 retainer · 又 hand; again · 貝 shell; money

## Words with 賢

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 賢い | かしこい (kashikoi) | wise; clever |

## Don't confuse it with

[質](https://moji.ninja/n4-kanji/quality/)

## 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/wise/. Last updated 2026-11-01.