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Kotomora

固

harden, set, clot, curdle

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 4FrequencyTop 1,000Strokes8

Readings

On'yomi

  • コ

Kun'yomi

  • かた.める
  • かた.まる
  • かた.まり
  • かた.い

Meaning

固 centers on becoming firm and stable: hardening, setting, clotting, or curdling. It describes a change from a softer or more fluid state into a solid, fixed form.

Most common words using 固

20 of 243
  • 固定こてい
    N1

    fixing (in place); being fixed (in place); securing; anchoring; fastening down

  • 固めかため

    hardening; fortifying

  • 固まるかたまる
    N2

    to harden; to solidify

  • 固有こゆう
    N1

    characteristic (of); peculiar (to); inherent (in); endemic; unique (to); native (to); intrinsic

  • 頑固がんこ
    N2

    stubborn; obstinate; pigheaded

  • 強固きょうこ

    firm; strong; solid; stable

  • 固執こしつ
    N1

    sticking to (an opinion, theory, belief, etc.); clinging to; adherence; persistence; insistence

  • 断固だんこ
    N1

    firm; determined; resolute; conclusive

  • 固めるかためる
    N2

    to harden; to freeze; to strengthen; to solidify; to make (a fist); to tramp down (snow, dirt)

  • 凝固ぎょうこ

    coagulation; freezing; solidification

  • 固体こたい
    N1

    solid (body); solid matter; solid-state

  • 固形こけい
    N1

    solid (body)

  • 固有名詞こゆうめいし

    proper noun

  • 堅固けんご

    solid; strong; firm

  • 固着こちゃく

    adherence; sticking (to); fixation

  • 意固地いこじ

    obstinate; stubborn; obdurate; headstrong; willful; perverse

  • 固めかため

    somewhat hard; somewhat firm; fairly hard; on the hard side

  • 確固かっこ

    firm; unshakeable; resolute

  • 固化こか

    solidification

  • 警固けいご

    watching (esp. during an emergency); being on alert

Explore all words using 固 →

Study

Etymology

固 combines 囗 (enclosure) with 古, which likely contributes the sound and the idea of something old and solid. The enclosure reinforces the sense of something contained and hardened.

Meaning mnemonic

Inside an enclosure 囗, something old 古 sits and hardens over time. Picture an ancient object sealed in a container, slowly setting into a solid, firm mass.

Reading mnemonic

For コ, imagine a hard, solid core inside the enclosure: core -> コ, and the old thing inside becomes the core of the hardened mass.