Japanese Kanji for Health: 健康 — What the Word Is Made Of
The Japanese kanji for health consists of two characters: 健 (strong, 11 strokes) and 康 (well-being, 11 strokes). Together, 健康 (kenkō) means 'health'. The first character contains the radical 'person' 亻, the second goes back to the idea of peace and prosperity. The word is not written with a single kanji.
Japanese health is assembled from 'strength' and 'peace': not the absence of illness, but a state in which the body is strong and life is well-ordered. Hence the greeting お元気ですか — a question not about symptoms, but about whether a person has vitality.
How to Write the Japanese Kanji for Health
- Meaning
- strong, healthy
- Onyomi
- ケン
- Kunyomi
- すこ.やか
- strokes
- 11
The first character of the word 健康, 11 strokes. Click 'Show stroke order' — on the left is the radical 'person' 亻.
The Second Character — 康
康 means 'peace, well-being'. In the pair 健康, it yields 'strength plus well-being' — a state, not a medical indicator. The character 康 is familiar from the name Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), the founder of the shogunate.
Words About Health
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 健康けんこう | kenkō | Health |
| 元気げんき | genki | Vitality, good spirits |
| 体からだ | karada | Body |
| 病気びょうき | byōki | Illness |
| 健康診断けんこうしんだん | kenkō shindan | Medical checkup |
| お大事におだいじに | o-daiji ni | Get well soon, take carewhat you say to someone who is ill |
Kenkō or genki — when to use which
健康 is health as a state of the body: doctors talk about it and it appears on forms. 元気 is vitality and mood right now: that's what you ask about when meeting someone. A person can be 健康 but not 元気 today — and vice versa.
Write 健 Yourself
FAQ
What do the characters in 健康 mean?
The word 'health' is written with two characters — 健康 (kenkō): 健 'strong' and 康 'well-being'. It is not written with a single kanji.
How do you say 'health' in Japanese?
健康 (kenkō). 'To be healthy' is 健康です, 'to take care of one's health' is 健康に気をつける.
How is 健康 different from 元気?
健康 is a state of the body, medical. 元気 is vitality and mood right now. When meeting someone, you ask about 元気.
What do you say to someone who is ill in Japanese?
お大事に (o-daiji ni) — 'take care, get well soon'. It's the standard phrase, also said at the pharmacy and in the hospital.
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