Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.
頑固 (がんこ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Report an issue with this page
父ちち は 頑がん 固こ で 、 一いち 度ど 決き め た こと は 絶ぜっ 対たい に 変か え ない 。
My father is stubborn and never changes his mind once he's decided something.
This stain is stubborn and won't come out easily.
Usage patterns 頑がん 固こ に 〈 動どう 詞し 〉 to do something stubbornly
He stubbornly refused to change his opinion.
頑がん 固こ な 性せい 格かく a stubborn personality
頑がん 固こ な 汚よご れ a stubborn stain (hard to remove)
This stubborn stain on the shirt just won't come out.
Kanji 頑 stubborn, foolish, firmly Related words· 17 強情 emphasizes a defiant refusal to yield to others' wishes, while 頑固 more broadly describes an unwillingness to change one's habits or opinions.
意地っ張り suggests stubbornness driven by pride or not wanting to lose face, often used for children or petty disputes, whereas 頑固 is broader and can describe ingrained habits or attitudes.
頑な has a more literary, somewhat formal tone and often describes a rigid refusal to bend on a specific point, while 頑固 is the everyday word for general stubbornness.
頑固 means stubborn in a general, personality sense, while 頭が固い specifically points to rigid, inflexible thinking.
Show 13 more 頑固 describes a fixed, unyielding personality trait, while 意地 often refers to willful stubbornness shown in a specific situation, sometimes for the sake of pride.
頑固 is the common modern word for 'stubborn', while 一国 in this sense is a dated adjectival-noun usage now usually written 一刻.
頑固 is the standard modern word for being stubborn, while 一刻 (in this sense) is a dated term rarely used in contemporary speech.
Opposites· 5 素直 describes someone obedient and open to others' guidance, the direct opposite of 頑固's refusal to listen or change.
頑固 describes someone stubborn and unwilling to change, the opposite of having 融通 (flexibility) in dealing with situations.
頑固 describes someone stubborn and unwilling to change, the opposite of being フレキシブル and open to adjustment.
Show 2 more Don't confuse with 頑丈 shares the kanji 頑 with 頑固 but means physically sturdy or robust, not stubborn in personality.
頑張る also starts with 頑 but means to try hard or persevere, a positive effort verb quite different from the negative trait 頑固.
頑固 describes a stubborn, inflexible personality trait (often negative), while 断固 describes firm resolve applied to a specific decision or action (often approving).
Word family stubborn person; obstinate person; pig-headed person
headstrong; obstinate; bullheaded
stubborn; obstinate; adamant
Written forms 頑がん 固こ Usage 89%
Standard kanji spelling; high frequency in news and general use.
がんこ Usage 6%
Kana spelling is common in casual writing and when the kanji are considered difficult.
ガンコ Usage 5%
Etymology The kanji 頑 (stubborn, foolish) and 固 (hard, firm) combine to express a rigid, unyielding nature. The reading がんこ is on'yomi.
My grandfather has a stubborn personality and won't listen to younger people's opinions.
石いし 頭あたま
N1
頑固 is a general adjective/noun meaning stubborn or obstinate, while 石頭 is a more vivid, idiomatic noun that likens a stubborn person's mind to a rock.
頑固 is the modern, common word for 'stubborn'; 豪儀 in its archaic sense is a literary equivalent.
頑固 focuses on obstinate, unyielding personality traits, whereas 頑強 more often describes determined resistance or effort in a specific situation.
頑固 means stubborn and inflexible, usually in a negative sense, whereas しぶとい emphasizes toughness and resilience that can be admired.
頑固 describes stubbornness or unwillingness to change one's mind, whereas 偏狭 describes a biased, intolerant outlook toward others' ideas.
頑固 specifically means 'stubborn' as a personality trait, while 硬い can describe a person's character more broadly, including honesty or inflexibility.
頑固 describes a stubborn personality trait in general, whereas 執拗 focuses on relentless, unyielding behavior in a specific situation.
頑固 means stubborn and unwilling to change one's mind, while 気難しい implies being fussy, picky, or moody rather than simply inflexible.
頑固 is an adjective describing a stubborn personality trait, while 固執 is a noun/suru-verb describing the act of stubbornly clinging to a specific idea.
頑固 means stubbornly unwilling to change one's mind, while 粘り強い focuses on sustained effort rather than rigidity.
虚心 means being open to other views, whereas 頑固 describes someone stubbornly clinging to their own opinion.
頑固 describes a stubborn, unyielding attitude, contrasting with the open-mindedness implied by 柔軟な思考.
頑がん 固こ 親おや 父じ
stubborn old man; pig-headed father