肝きも

also: たん

き

も

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

liver; innards

Refers to the organ or edible liver; also used broadly for innards in cooking contexts.

焼やき鳥とりの肝きもが好すきです。
I like chicken liver yakitori.
魚さかなの肝きもを取とってください。
Please remove the fish innards.

2

noun

courage; guts; spirit

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).

彼かれは肝きもが据すわっている。
He has nerves of steel.
あの事じ故こで肝きもを冷ひやした。
That accident scared me stiff.

3

noun

crux; key point; essence

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).

この問もん題だいの肝きもは何なんですか。
What is the crux of this problem?
先せん生せいの言こと葉ばを肝きもに銘めいじた。
I took the teacher's words to heart.

Written forms

肝きもUsage47%
Primary kanji spelling for the reading きも, covering the liver, courage, and essential-point senses.
たんUsage28%
きもUsage11%
胆Usage8%
- きも
  Alternate kanji spelling for きも, especially common in the courage sense (e.g., 肝が据わる).
- たん
  Rare reading たん for the kanji 胆, mostly seen in medical or compound contexts.
キモUsage6%
kana-only spelling
Katakana spelling used in casual or emphatic contexts, especially for the courage sense.

Kanji

肝liver, pluck, nerve
胆gall bladder, courage, pluck

Similar words

肝かん心じん
A compound meaning 'essential' or 'crucial', derived from 肝 and 心; used as an adjective, while 肝 alone is a noun.
度ど胸きょう
Also means 'courage', but 度胸 emphasizes boldness and nerve in facing danger, while 肝 can refer to inner fortitude or spirit.

Etymology

Originally referred to the liver; metaphorical extensions to courage and essential points are ancient and shared with Chinese, where the liver was considered the seat of bravery.