Meaning
The kanji 款 (カン) has several distinct meanings across formal written Japanese — legal, interpersonal, and classical artistic. Its most common modern sense is a clause or article: a numbered provision within a contract, law, or treaty. Corporate charters, international agreements, and insurance policies all use 款 for their structural subdivisions.
款 also conveys goodwill, genuine affection, or sincere friendship. This sense appears in words like 款待 (warm hospitality) — not mere courtesy, but real openness toward another person.
A third meaning, now largely literary, is leisurely or unhurried. The reduplicated form 款款 captures slow, graceful movement — the opposite of rushing. It turns up mainly in classical poetry and formal prose.
In traditional East Asian art and archaeology, 款 denotes an inscription or colophon — the artist's name, date, or dedicatory text stamped or engraved on a painting, calligraphy work, or bronze vessel. That seal is the maker's authentic mark: sincerity made tangible.
The character is built from a complex left element plus the radical 欠 (yawn, lack) on the right. It takes 12 strokes and carries no elementary school grade — firmly advanced territory. Its N1 placement reflects how often it appears in legal contracts, business charters, and classical texts.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
款 has a single on'yomi reading used across all standard compounds:
カン (kan) — Covers legal, financial, artistic, and interpersonal vocabulary alike. Vietnamese learners may recognize the link to the Hán-Việt reading KHOẢN (as in điều khoản, khoản mục) — a handy memory anchor.
- 定款 (teikan) — articles of incorporation; founding charter of a corporation
- 借款 (shakkan) — formal international loan; sovereign lending between governments
- 落款 (rakkan) — artist's seal and signature on a painting or calligraphy
- 条款 (jōkan) — clause or article in a treaty, law, or agreement
- 款待 (kantai) — warm, generous hospitality; sincere entertainment of a guest
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
款 has no kun'yomi. It entered Japanese through Chinese literary and legal tradition and exists only in Sino-Japanese compounds. In any context, read it as カン.
Common Words & Compounds
Legal and Contractual Terms
- 定款 (teikan) — articles of incorporation; the foundational charter of a company outlining its name, purpose, and governance; required for company registration in Japan
- 条款 (jōkan) — a specific clause or numbered article within a treaty, domestic law, or formal agreement; the basic building block of legal texts
- 約款 (yakkan) — standard terms and conditions; the general clauses in insurance policies, service agreements, and consumer contracts; often buried in fine print
- 款項 (kankō) — clauses and sections collectively; the structural subdivisions of a formal legal document
Financial Terms
- 借款 (shakkan) — a formal government-to-government or institutional loan; appears frequently in accounts of Meiji-era and postwar foreign financing
- 貸款 (taikan) — lending; the creditor side of a formal loan, especially between states or large institutions
Art and Cultural Terms
- 落款 (rakkan) — an artist's handwritten signature and personal seal on a painting, calligraphy scroll, or decorative work; the mark of authenticity and creative ownership
- 款識 (kanshi) — inscriptions engraved on ancient Chinese bronze vessels; a key source for archaeologists and historians of classical China
Interpersonal and Literary Terms
- 款待 (kantai) — to host a guest with genuine warmth and generosity; heartfelt hospitality that goes beyond formality
- 款曲 (kankyoku) — sincere inner feelings; heartfelt goodwill toward another person
- 款款 (kankan) — leisurely; slow, unhurried, graceful — a classical and literary usage
Example Sentences
この契約書の第三款をよく読んでください。
Kono keiyakusho no daisankan o yoku yonde kudasai.
Please read the third clause of this contract carefully.
定款には会社の基本的なルールが記載されています。
Teikan ni wa kaisha no kihonteki na rūru ga kisai sarete imasu.
The articles of incorporation set out the company's basic rules.
政府は大規模な借款を外国から受けた。
Seifu wa daikibo na shakkan o gaikoku kara uketa.
The government took out a large loan from a foreign country.
その絵には作者の落款が押されていた。
Sono e ni wa sakusha no rakkan ga osarete ita.
The painting bore the artist's personal seal and signature.
保険の約款を詳しく確認することをお勧めします。
Hoken no yakkan o kuwashiku kakunin suru koto o osusume shimasu.
I recommend carefully checking the terms and conditions of the insurance policy.
彼らは款待を受けて、すっかり打ち解けた。
Karera wa kantai o ukete, sukkari uchi-toketa.
They received warm hospitality and completely relaxed with one another.
法律の各条款を詳しく検討する必要がある。
Hōritsu no kaku jōkan o kuwashiku kentō suru hitsuyō ga aru.
Each article of the law demands careful examination.
新しい定款に基づいて会社を設立した。
Atarashii teikan ni motozuite kaisha o setsuritsu shita.
The company was established based on the new articles of incorporation.
取引先からの款待に感謝の言葉を述べた。
Torihikisaki kara no kantai ni kansha no kotoba o nobeta.
He thanked the business partner for their warm hospitality.
Memory Tip
Picture an exhausted official yawning (欠, the radical, literally means "yawn" or "lack") as he carefully stamps a long legal document with his personal seal. The left-hand component evokes structure and organization — numbered clauses lined up on the page. That seal he presses down with such care is a 落款: authentic, sincere, deliberate. The yawning official stamping a charter ties together all three core meanings at once — the legal clause, the sincere goodwill of a duty faithfully done, and the leisurely pace at which he works through each item. That image is 款.