堅い

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
堅
かた
Grade: S
kun’yomi

Etymology

This word was derived from ancient Japanese origin かたし (katashi, “hard”) and applied the meaning of Chinese letter 堅／坚 that means keeping its physical shape or behavior by its excellent quality.

In turn, from Old Japanese kata, from Proto-Japonic *kata.

Pronunciation

Adjective

堅(かた)い • (katai) -i (adverbial 堅(かた)く (kataku))

  1. firm, resolute
    彼女(かのじょ)の結婚(けっこん)への意思(いし)は堅(かた)かった。
    Kanojo no kekkon e no ishi wa katakatta.
    She was absolutely determined to get married.
  2. honest, steadfast
    その僧侶(そうりょ)は堅(かた)い行(おこな)いをする。
    Sono sōryo wa katai okonai o suru.
    The behaviour of the priest is honest.
  3. stern, strict, serious
    堅(かた)い話(はなし)はそのへんにして…
    katai hanashi wa sono hen ni shite…
    Be strict about that…
  4. safe
    三万(さんまん)円(えん)を用意(ようい)しておけば堅(かた)い。
    Sanman en o yōi shiteokeba katai.
    It will be safe if you prepare thirty thousand yen.
  5. indestructible, unwreckable
    この扉(とびら)は鉄製(てっせい)で堅(かた)い。
    Kono tobira wa tessei de katai.
    This door is iron-made and indestructible.

Inflection

Inflection of 堅い
Stem forms
Imperfective (未然形) 堅かろ かたかろ katakaro
Continuative (連用形) 堅く かたく kataku
Terminal (終止形) 堅い かたい katai
Attributive (連体形) 堅い かたい katai
Hypothetical (仮定形) 堅けれ かたけれ katakere
Imperative (命令形) 堅かれ かたかれ katakare
Key constructions
Informal negative 堅くない かたくない kataku nai
Informal past 堅かった かたかった katakatta
Informal negative past 堅くなかった かたくなかった kataku nakatta
Formal 堅いです かたいです katai desu
Formal negative 堅くないです かたくないです kataku nai desu
Formal past 堅かったです かたかったです katakatta desu
Formal negative past 堅くなかったです かたくなかったです kataku nakatta desu
Conjunctive 堅くて かたくて katakute
Conditional 堅ければ かたければ katakereba
Provisional 堅かったら かたかったら katakattara
Volitional 堅かろう かたかろう katakarō
Adverbial 堅く かたく kataku
Degree 堅さ かたさ katasa

Synonyms

Antonyms

See also

References

  1. ^ Frellesvig, Bjarke, Stephen Wright Horn, et al. (eds.) (2023) “Old Japanese kata”, in Oxford-NINJAL Corpus of Old Japanese‎
  2. ^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1974), 新明解国語辞典 (in Japanese), Second edition, Tōkyō: Sanseidō
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