拳
fist
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)
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.