also: たん
liver; innards
Refers to the organ or edible liver; also used broadly for innards in cooking contexts.
焼き鳥の肝が好きです。
I like chicken liver yakitori.
魚の肝を取ってください。
Please remove the fish innards.
Metaphorical use likening courage to the liver; common in phrases like 肝が据わる (to have nerves of steel) or 肝を冷やす (to be scared stiff).
彼は肝が据わっている。
He has nerves of steel.
あの事故で肝を冷やした。
That accident scared me stiff.
Only with reading きも / キモ
Used to indicate the most important part of something; often appears in phrases like 肝心 (essential) or 肝に銘じる (take to heart).
この問題の肝は何ですか。
What is the crux of this problem?
先生の言葉を肝に銘じた。
I took the teacher's words to heart.
The crux of this plan is budget management.
He's timid and gets scared easily.
gizzard
internal organs; entrails
Alternate kanji spelling for きも, especially common in the courage sense (e.g., 肝が据わる).
Rare reading たん for the kanji 胆, mostly seen in medical or compound contexts.
Katakana spelling used in casual or emphatic contexts, especially for the courage sense.