Kiokun Logo
艮
🇹🇼🇭🇰🇨🇳🇯🇵🇰🇷

stubborn / tough

HSK 10
Human →Actions →Change
gěn, gèn
コン、ゴン
うしとら
간
Depicts a person looking backwards. Based on the original meaning "look backwards". The modern meaning is a phonetic loan.
Components
目 eye+ 人 person =
艮 stubborn / tough
目 Iconic component
mù eye
Depicts an eye.
人 Iconic component
rén person
man
Horizontally flipped version of 人, depicts a person looking backwards.
Notes
Similar Characters
蜀 short name for Sichuan盯 stare at盱 wide open eyes盲 blind盹 to doze盼 await hopefully省 economize眄 to look askance眇 blind in one eye眈 gloat看 look at県 county (jp)眍 sunken (simp)眎 view (archaic)眙 to gaze at眚 disease of the eyes眠 slumber眡 blurred sight眢 eyes without brightness眥 eye sockets (trad)
Historical Evolution
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
Clerical Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
艮
Regular
Modern
Chinese
艮 [gěn]
blunt; tough; chewy
艮 [gèn]
one of the Eight Trigrams 八卦[bā​guà], symbolizing mountain; ☶; ancient Chinese compass point: 45° (northeast)
Japanese
艮 ごん 、 こん 、 え 同音
noun gen (one of the trigrams of the I Ching: mountain, northeast)
丑寅 、 艮 うしとら 同音
noun archaic northeast
Example Sentences
Japanese Names
艮 うしとら
Ushitora surname
艮 かたし
Katashi given name
艮 このなが
Kononaga unclassified name
艮 こん
Kon unclassified name
艮 ごん
Gon given name
CHINESE WORDS (2)
儒艮 [rú​gèn]
dugong
勃艮第 [Bó​gěn​dì]
Burgundy (Bourgogne), kingdom during medieval period, now region of France
JAPANESE WORDS (3)
⭐ 儒艮 [ジュゴン] #177,961
dugong (Dugong dugon)
丑寅 [うしとら]
northeast
艮下艮上 [ごんかごんしょう]
one of the 64 trigrams