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Kotomora

胆

gall bladder, courage, pluck, nerve

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes9

Readings

On'yomi

  • タン

Kun'yomi

  • きも

Nanori

  • い
  • まこと

Meaning

胆 centers on the gall bladder as the traditional seat of boldness: courage, pluck, and nerve all flow from this same visceral idea of inner fortitude.

Most common words using 胆

20 of 55
  • 大胆だいたん
    N2

    bold; daring; audacious

  • 落胆らくたん
    N1

    discouragement; despondency; dejection; disappointment

  • 胆い

    gallbladder; liver

  • 魂胆こんたん

    ulterior motive; plot; scheme

  • 胆汁たんじゅう

    bile; gall

  • 竜胆りんどう

    gentian (Gentiana scabra var. buergeri); autumn bellflower

  • 胆嚢たんのう

    gallbladder; gall bladder

  • 胆力たんりょく

    courage; nerve; grit

  • 胆石たんせき

    gallstone

  • 豪胆ごうたん

    bold; daring; dauntless; intrepid; stout-hearted

  • 臥薪嘗胆がしんしょうたん

    going through thick and thin to attain one's objective; enduring unspeakable hardships for the sake of vengeance

  • 一眼二足三胆四力いちがんにそくさんたんしりき

    firstly vision, secondly footwork, thirdly courage, fourthly technique (the most important aspects of kendo)

  • 先天性胆管閉鎖症せんてんせいたんがんへいさしょう

    congenital bile duct atresia

  • 利胆薬りたんやく

    cholagogue

  • 原発性胆汁性肝硬変げんぱつせいたんじゅうせいかんこうへん

    primary biliary cirrhosis

  • 大胆不敵だいたんふてき

    daring; fearless; audacious; bold; dauntless; daredevil

  • 大胆奔放だいたんほんぽう

    bold and unrestrained; daring and unfettered

  • 大胆巧妙だいたんこうみょう

    bold and clever; daring and ingenious; audacious and masterly

  • 失望落胆しつぼうらくたん

    being disappointed and disheartened

  • 小胆しょうたん

    timidity

Explore all words using 胆 →

Study

Etymology

胆 is the modern simplified form of 膽. The older form combines ⺼ (flesh) with 詹, which likely contributed the sound and the idea of the gall bladder. The modern form replaces the complex right side with 旦, a simpler phonetic component.

Meaning mnemonic

The flesh radical ⺼ on the left points to a body part, and 旦 on the right looks like the sun rising over the horizon. Picture the gall bladder as the sunrise of courage inside you, filling you with pluck and nerve each morning.

Reading mnemonic

For タン, imagine a tanning bed giving you the courage to face the day: tan -> タン, and the gall bladder is the source of that boldness.