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賢

賢 — intelligent, wise, wisdom

Learn the correct stroke order for 賢 (intelligent), a 16-stroke kanji.

JLPT N2Secondary school16 strokes

Stroke Order

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Stroke 0 / 16
On'yomi (音読み)ケンken
Kun'yomi (訓読み)かしこ.いkashikoi
Strokes16
Radical貝
Frequency#1159
Meaningsintelligent, wise, wisdom, cleverness

Step-by-Step Diagram

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Try Writing It

Practice writing each stroke in the correct order and direction. Start from the green dot.

Draw stroke 1 of 16 — start from the green dot

Common Words

賢いかしこいwise; clever; smarti-adjective
賢人けんじんwise person; virtuous person; sagenoun
賢母けんぼwise mothernoun
賢明けんめいwise; sensible; well-advisedna-adjective
普賢ふげんSamantabhadra (bodhisattva); Universal Compassionnoun
悪賢いわるがしこいcunning; crafty; wilyi-adjective

Usage & Examples

Usage Notes

The kanji 賢 (intelligent) is part of the secondary school kanji set and appears at JLPT N2 level. It has 16 strokes with radical 貝.

In newspaper frequency rankings, 賢 is #1159, making it a moderately common kanji.

Example Words in Context

賢いかしこい — wise; clever; smart
賢人けんじん — wise person; virtuous person; sage
賢母けんぼ — wise mother

Practice Sheet

Trace then write on your own. Print this row as a PDF practice sheet.

Related Kanji

Same radical (貝)

貝shellfish負defeat貞upright財property貢tribute責blame販marketing貨freight

Same reading

県prefecture券ticket巻scroll簡simplicity肩shoulder軒flats乾drought

Frequently Asked Questions

How many strokes does 賢 have?

The kanji 賢 (intelligent) has 16 strokes. Watch the animation above to see the correct order.

What is the correct stroke order for 賢?

賢 follows the standard Japanese stroke order as taught in schools. Use the step-by-step diagram or the "Try Writing" tool above to practice each stroke in sequence.

What does 賢 mean?

賢 means: intelligent, wise, wisdom, cleverness. On'yomi readings: ケン. Kun'yomi readings: かしこ.い.

What JLPT level is 賢?

賢 is a JLPT N2 kanji. This is an advanced kanji.