憨

foolish, silly, coquettish

Strokes16

Readings

On'yomi

カン

Kun'yomi

おろ.か

Meaning

憨 centers on a lack of seriousness or sense: foolishness, silliness, or playful coquettishness that comes from a light-hearted, unthinking heart.

Study

Etymology

憨 combines 敢 (daring, bold) with 心 (heart), likely suggesting a heart that acts without restraint, leading to foolish or silly behavior. The exact historical development is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

A daring (敢) heart (心) that rushes in without thinking: that's a foolish, silly, or playfully coquettish heart.

Reading mnemonic

For カン, imagine a can of silly string: can -> カン, and the foolish heart sprays it everywhere.