簡かん単たん

か

ん

た

ん

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 500

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

simple; easy; uncomplicated

Describes tasks, explanations, or things that are not difficult or complex. Very common in everyday speech.

この問もん題だいはとても簡かん単たんだ。
This problem is very easy.
簡かん単たんな説せつ明めいで十

じゅう

分ぶん

です

。

A simple explanation is enough.

2

na-adjective, noun

brief; quick; light

Used for actions or processes that are short, casual, or not heavy. Often appears in phrases like 簡単に済ませる (finish quickly/lightly).

昼ちゅう食しょくは簡かん単たんに済すませた。
I had a quick lunch.
簡かん単たんな挨あい拶さつだけで失しつ礼れいします。
I'll just give a brief greeting and take my leave.

Written forms

簡かん単たんUsage94%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency word.
かんたんUsage5%
カンタンUsage1%
簡かん短たんUsage<1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rarely used kanji form; 簡単 is overwhelmingly preferred.

Kanji

簡simplicity, brevity
単simple, one, single
短short, brevity, fault

Similar words

易やさしい
易しい also means 'easy', but is more often used for tasks or problems that are not intellectually demanding, while 簡単 can also mean 'simple' in structure or 'brief' in manner.
単たん純じゅん
単純 means 'simple' in the sense of being uncomplicated or naive, often with a nuance of lacking depth or being overly simplistic, whereas 簡単 is more neutral and practical.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese word formed from 簡 (simple, brief) and 単 (single, simple). The spelling 簡単 is standard; the rare variants 簡短 and 簡端 are historical or non-standard.