顕
appear, existing
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
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.