恭きょう倹けん

きょ

う

け

ん

Meanings

respectfulness and modesty; deference

A formal, literary term describing an attitude of humble respect and courteous restraint. Rare in modern conversation; mostly encountered in classical or formal written contexts.

彼かれの恭きょう倹けんな態たい度どは、古ふるい武ぶ士し道どうを思おもわせる。
His respectful and modest demeanor is reminiscent of the old way of the samurai.

See all 2 example sentences ›

Kanji

恭respect, reverent
倹frugal, economy, thrifty

Related words

謙けん虚きょ
Common modern word for 'humility' or 'modesty', used in everyday speech. 恭倹 is more formal and literary, emphasizing both respect toward others and personal modesty.
恭きょう順じゅん
Means 'respectful obedience' or 'dutiful submission', often implying a hierarchical relationship. 恭倹 focuses more on the combined quality of respect and modesty without necessarily implying obedience.

Word family

温おん良りょう恭きょう倹けん譲じょう
cordial, obedient, respectful, modest, and moderate

Etymology

Compound of 恭 (respectful, reverent) and 倹 (frugal, modest). The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the spelling is conventionally associated with the combined meaning of respectful modesty.