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Kotomora

顕

appear, existing

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes18

Readings

On'yomi

  • ケン

Kun'yomi

  • あきらか
  • あらわ.れる

Nanori

  • あき
  • あきら

Meaning

顕 centers on becoming visible or manifest: something that appears, comes to light, or is clearly present. The 'existing' sense is the state of being apparent and undeniable.

Most common words using 顕

20 of 52
  • 顕著けんちょ
    N1

    remarkable; striking; obvious

  • 顕けん

    exposure; clarity

  • 顕微鏡けんびきょう
    N2

    microscope

  • 顕在けんざい

    being actual (as opposed to hidden or latent); being apparent; being obvious; being tangible; being revealed

  • 顕現けんげん

    manifestation

  • 顕示けんじ

    manifestation; public show; showing conspicuously

  • 顕彰けんしょう

    honouring (publicly); honoring; making someone's good deeds or achievements well-known

  • 顕正けんしょう

    revealing or demonstrating the truth

  • 顕微けんび

    microscopic

  • 電子顕微鏡でんしけんびきょう

    electron microscope

  • 自己顕示じこけんじ

    making oneself conspicuous; pressing one's own cause

  • イオン顕微鏡イオンけんびきょう

    ion microscope

  • 不顕性感染ふけんせいかんせん

    inapparent infection; subclinical infection

  • 丕顕ひけん

    great and brilliant; splendid

  • 位相差顕微鏡いそうさけんびきょう

    phase-contrast microscope

  • 光学顕微鏡こうがくけんびきょう

    optical microscope

  • 共焦点レーザー顕微鏡きょうしょうてんレーザーけんびきょう

    confocal laser microscope

  • 共焦点レーザ走査型顕微鏡きょうしょうてんレーザそうさがたけんびきょう

    confocal laser scanning biological microscope

  • 共焦点走査型顕微鏡きょうしょうてんそうさがたけんびきょう

    confocal scanning microscope

  • 破邪顕正はじゃけんしょう

    crushing evil and spreading the truth

Explore all words using 顕 →

Study

Etymology

顕 is the modern simplified form of 顯. The older form combines 頁 (head) with 㬎, which likely contributed the sound and the idea of something being visible or conspicuous. The modern left side 显 is a simplification.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side 显 looks like a sun 日 rising over a stand, and the right side 頁 is a head. Picture a head turning toward the bright sun as it appears over the horizon—something that was hidden becomes clearly visible.

Reading mnemonic

For ケン, imagine Ken appearing suddenly in the doorway: Ken -> ケン, and his arrival makes his presence obvious.