強 — Strong, Powerful

Meaning

The kanji 強 (きょう) is an essential character in Japanese, primarily meaning strong, powerful, force, and to strengthen or to compel. It describes physical might, mental fortitude, intensity, and even coercion.

The character 強 is an ideogram with an interesting etymological origin, composed of two main elements. The left side, 弓 (ゆみ), depicts a "bow" (as in a bow and arrow). The right side, 虫 (むし), which typically means "insect" or "worm" today, originally represented a "silkworm" or "silk threads" in ancient scripts. Early forms of 強 showed a silkworm inside a bow, symbolizing the remarkable tensile strength of a bowstring. It also alluded to the resilience of silk threads themselves. Over time, this visual representation evolved to abstractly convey the general concept of "strength," "power," or "force." The inherent power and tension of a drawn bow, combined with the toughness and durability of silk, made it a fitting symbol for robust and enduring strength.

With 11 strokes, 強 is taught in the 2nd grade of Japanese elementary school (小学校2年生). This placement highlights its frequent use and importance in everyday Japanese. Learners will find understanding 強 essential, as it forms the basis of many common words and expressions related to power, intensity, and effort.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

The on'yomi readings are derived from Chinese pronunciations and are typically used when 強 appears as part of a compound word with other kanji.

• キョウ (KYŌ): This is the most common on'yomi reading for 強. You'll find it in numerous compound words to express strength, emphasis, or intensity.

• 勉強べんきょう (benkyō) — study (literally "strong endeavor" or "to make an effort")

• 強調きょうちょう (kyōchō) — emphasize, stress, highlight

• 強風きょうふう (kyōfū) — strong wind, gale

• ゴウ (GŌ): This reading is less common than キョウ but appears in specific compound words, often carrying a nuance of stubbornness, power, or even aggression.

• 強情ごうじょう (gōjō) — stubbornness, obstinacy

• 強欲ごうよく (gōyoku) — greed, avarice

• 強奪ごうだつ (gōdatsu) — robbery, seizure, plunder

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

The kun'yomi readings are native Japanese pronunciations, often used when the kanji stands alone or is followed by okurigana (送り仮名), which are additional hiragana characters that complete the word.

• つよ.い (tsuyo.i): This adjective form of 強 means "strong," "powerful," "tough," or "intense." It describes physical attributes, personality traits, or natural phenomena.

• 強いつよい (tsuyoi) — strong, powerful

• 気が強いきがつよい (ki ga tsuyoi) — strong-willed, assertive

• 強い雨つよいあめ (tsuyoi ame) — heavy rain

• つよ.まる (tsuyo.maru): This intransitive verb means "to become strong," "to gain strength," or "to intensify." It describes a process where something increases in power or intensity on its own, such as the wind picking up.

• 強まるつよまる (tsuyomaru) — to get stronger, to intensify (e.g., the wind intensifies)

• 風が強まるかぜがつよまる (kaze ga tsuyomaru) — the wind grows stronger

• 自信が強まるじしんがつよまる (jishin ga tsuyomaru) — confidence increases

• つよ.める (tsuyo.meru): As a transitive verb, this means "to strengthen," "to reinforce," or "to make stronger." It describes an action performed to increase another's power or intensity, like strengthening a grip or turning up the volume.

• 強めるつよめる (tsuyomeru) — to strengthen, to reinforce, to turn up (e.g., volume)

• 力を強めるちからをつよめる (chikara o tsuyomeru) — to strengthen one's power/effort

• 音量を強めるおんりょうをつよめる (onryō o tsuyomeru) — to turn up the volume

Common Words & Compounds

The kanji 強 appears in many everyday Japanese words and compounds. Here are some key examples, grouped by theme:

• Strength & Power:

• 強力きょうりょく (kyōryoku) — powerful, strong, mighty (e.g., 強力な接着剤 - strong adhesive)

• 強大きょうだい (kyōdai) — mighty, powerful, great (e.g., 強大な国家 - a powerful nation)

• 強度きょうど (kyōdo) — strength, intensity (e.g., 地震の強度 - earthquake intensity)

• Effort & Improvement:

• 勉強べんきょう (benkyō) — study, diligence, effort (a very common word with 強)

• 強行きょうこう (kyōkō) — forcing, pushing through, resolute action (e.g., 強行突破 - forced breakthrough)

• 強気つよき (tsuyoki) — confident, assertive, optimistic (e.g., 強気の態度 - a confident attitude)

• Emphasis & Influence:

• 強調きょうちょう (kyōchō) — emphasis, stress, highlight (e.g., ポイントを強調する - to emphasize a point)

• 強引ごういん (gōin) — overbearing, forceful, coercive (e.g., 強引なやり方 - a forceful method)

• 強制きょうせい (kyōsei) — compulsion, enforcement, coercion (e.g., 強制労働 - forced labor)

• Weather & Extremes:

• 強雨きょうう (kyōu) — heavy rain

• 強風きょうふう (kyōfū) — strong wind, gale

• 最強さいきょう (saikyō) — strongest, most powerful, ultimate (e.g., 最強のチーム - the strongest team)

• Other useful compounds:

• 強敵きょうてき (kyōteki) — formidable enemy, strong opponent

• 強力粉きょうりょくこ (kyōryokuko) — strong flour (e.g., for bread making)

Example Sentences

Let's see 強 in action with some practical example sentences.

Related Kanji

• 弟 — Younger Brother, Junior (Kanji N4)
• 以 — By Means Of, With, From (Kanji N4)
• 黒 — Black, Dark (Kanji N4)
• 洗 — Wash (Kanji N4)
• 短 — Short, brief, defect (Kanji N4)
• 田 — Rice Field (Kanji N4)

Memory Tip

To remember 強, visualize its two components. The left part, 弓 (yumi), means "bow." The right part, 虫 (mushi), originally represented a silkworm, known for producing incredibly strong silk threads. Imagine an archer pulling back a bowstring made from these resilient 'silkworm' threads, requiring immense 'strength.' Alternatively, picture a strong silkworm pulling a bow. This blend of a 'bow' and 'strong silk' clearly brings to mind the kanji's core meaning of 'strength' or 'power.'