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Kotomora

拳

fist

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • ケン
  • ゲン

Kun'yomi

  • こぶし

Meaning

拳 centers on the hand closed tightly into a fist, used for striking or as a symbol of martial power.

Most common words using 拳

20 of 65
  • 拳こぶし

    fist

  • 拳銃けんじゅう

    pistol; handgun

  • 鉄拳てっけん

    Tekken (video game series and media franchise)

  • 鉄拳てっけん

    tightly clenched fist

  • 拳法けんぽう

    Chinese martial arts; kung fu; wushu; quanfa

  • 太極拳たいきょくけん

    grand ultimate fist; Tai Chi Chuan

  • 拳骨げんこつ
    N1

    (clenched) fist; knuckles

  • 拳万げんまん

    pinky swear (i.e. linking little fingers to confirm a promise); pinky promise

  • 少林寺拳法しょうりんじけんぽう

    Shorinji Kempo (modern Japanese martial art based on Shaolin kung fu)

  • 拳闘けんとう

    boxing

  • 握り拳にぎりこぶし

    clenched fist

  • じゃん拳ぽんじゃんけんぽん

    rock! paper! scissors!; paper! scissors! rock!; one! two! three!

  • 両拳りょうけん

    both fists

  • 中国拳法ちゅうごくけんぽう

    Chinese martial art

  • 五形拳ごけいけん

    Wu Xing Fist; Five Form Fist (Dragon, Snake, Tiger, Crane, Leopard)

  • 信号拳銃しんごうけんじゅう

    flare gun; Very pistol; signal pistol

  • 八極拳はっきょくけん

    bajiquan (Chinese martial art)

  • 内家拳ないかけん

    neijia (Chinese martial arts style); internal martial arts

  • 力拳ちからこぶし

    clenched fist

  • 北斗の拳ほくとのけん

    Fist of the North Star (manga series and media franchise; written by Buronson and illustrated by Hara Tetsuo)

Explore all words using 拳 →

Study

Etymology

拳 combines 龹 (a phonetic component related to rolling or curling) with 手 (hand), suggesting a hand curled into a fist.

Meaning mnemonic

The top 龹 looks like a rolled-up scroll, and the bottom 手 is a hand. Imagine rolling your hand into a tight scroll-like shape: that's a fist.

Reading mnemonic

For ケン, picture a karate master named Ken clenching his fist: Ken -> ケン, and his fist is ready to strike.