固 — hard / solid

Grade 4こ, かた

Radical ⼞ · radical 31 The building block this kanji is filed under

固 (readings: こ, かた; Japanese kanji) means “hard / solid”. It is a Grade 4 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 4 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 固める (to harden / solidify).

Try it now

What does 固 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	固
Meaning	hard / solid
Readings	こ, かた
Grade	Grade 4 (Upper)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	固める (to harden / solidify)

How to read 固

固 is read こ or かた depending on the word.

Words with 固

堅固kiên cố
頑固ngoan cố
固めるcủng cố

Learn 固 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,026 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Read this character in a real sentence

🧊 Why does ice float on water? The 9% that keeps lakes alive in winter Grade 5

Updated: 2026-08-09