Usage patterns 頑かたく なに 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to stubbornly do (something), refusing to budge
He stubbornly refused to apologize.
頑かたく なな 態たい 度ど an obstinate, unyielding attitude
Everyone was troubled by her stubborn attitude.
頑かたく なに 〈 物もの 〉 を 守まも る to stubbornly stick to (a belief, rule, tradition)
My grandfather stubbornly clings to old customs.
Kanji 頑 stubborn, foolish, firmly Related words 頑固 is the everyday word for a stubborn personality trait, while 頑な is more literary and describes an inflexibly unyielding attitude in a particular situation.
強情 emphasizes willfully refusing to change one's mind or listen to others, whereas 頑な focuses on the rigid, unbending quality of the attitude itself.
意地っ張り is a casual, everyday term for someone stubborn out of pride or contrariness, while 頑な is more formal and less about personal pride.
Written forms 頑かたく な Usage 45%
Standard kanji-kana spelling; the okurigana な is part of the word.
かたくな Usage 48%
Kana spelling; common in casual writing or when avoiding the kanji.
頑かたくな Usage 5%
Abbreviated kanji-only form; rare in modern writing.
カタクナ Usage 1%
Etymology The reading かたくな is a native Japanese word. The kanji 頑 means 'stubborn' or 'obstinate', and the spelling 頑な is a conventional association rather than a direct phonetic derivation.
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