Kanji 介 jammed in, shellfish, mediate Related words 頑がん 固こ 頑固 is the common word for 'stubborn' in everyday Japanese. 狷介 is more literary and implies a self-righteous, narrow-minded obstinacy.
意い 地じ っ 張ぱ り 意地っ張り is a casual term for someone who stubbornly sticks to their own way. 狷介 is more formal and carries a nuance of moral rigidity.
Word family stubbornly independent; sticking to one's convictions
stubbornly conservative; narrow-minded and obstinate
stubborn and aloof; proudly independent
Written forms 狷けん 介かい Usage 95%
Literary kanji compound; rarely used in modern writing. The kana spelling けんかい is more practical for learners.
けんかい Usage 5%
Kana spelling is common in modern usage, as the kanji are obscure.
Etymology The kanji 狷 (narrow-minded, obstinate) and 介 (shell, mediate) combine to suggest a rigid, self-contained character. The exact historical derivation is uncertain; the word is a literary Sino-Japanese compound.
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