利り根こん

り

こ

ん

JLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

na-adjective, noun

intelligence; cleverness; innate aptitude

Refers to natural intellectual sharpness or quick-wittedness. Often used in contrast with 鈍根 (どんこん, 'dullness').

Antonyms: 鈍根

彼かれは利り根こんだ

から

、

難むずか

しい

問もん

題だい

も

すぐ

に

解と

ける

。

He is so clever that he can solve difficult problems right away.

利り根こんな人ひとは、新あたらしいことを覚おぼえるのが早はやい。

People with innate aptitude learn new things quickly.

Usage patterns

利り根こんな〈人ひと〉a naturally sharp-minded, clever person
彼かれは幼おさない頃ころから利り根こんな子こ供どもだった。
He was a remarkably sharp-witted child from a young age.

Kanji

利profit, advantage, benefit
根root, radical, head (pimple)

Related words

聡そう明めい
聡明 is a common literary word for being bright and wise, while 利根 is a rarer, more archaic term emphasizing innate quickness of mind.
利り発はつ
利発 usually describes a clever, precocious child, whereas 利根 is a broader, more formal term for sharp intelligence in general.
賢かしこいN3
賢い is the everyday i-adjective for 'smart' or 'wise', while 利根 is a rarer na-adjective with a more literary, technical flavor.

Opposites

鈍どん根こん
slow-witted; dull

Don't confuse with

利り口こうN3
利口 (clever, smart) and 利根 (sharp, innate intelligence) share the kanji 利 and overlapping meaning, but 利口 is the far more common everyday word.

Etymology

Compound of 利 (り, 'sharp, clever') and 根 (こん, 'root, nature'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word is conventionally associated with innate sharpness of mind.