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On'yomi
ケン・ゲン
KEN / GEN
Kun'yomi
こぶし
kobushi

fist

Details

Strokes10
Frequency#1935
Radicalhand(4)

Stroke Order

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Strokes10

Component Breakdown

=

龹 + hand

Cultural Context

Etymology

Composed of phonetic and hand. Clenched hand.

Symbolism

Fist, karate, grip. Represents clenched hand.

Anime & Manga

北斗の拳

ほくとのけん

Fist of the North Star(1983)

anime/manga

Author: Buronson/Tetsuo Hara

'Fist' symbolizes Hokuto Shinken. A landmark martial arts manga set in a post-apocalyptic world.

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Games

鉄拳

Tekken(1994)

PlayStation/PC

Developer: Bandai Namco

'Fist' is central to this fighting game. A story of fighting with the Mishima family's fists.

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Words & Expressions

Four-Character Compounds

徒手空拳

としゅくうけん

being empty-handed; being penniless; having no capital (for starting a business); being empty-handed

鉄拳制裁

てっけんせいさい

(punishment by) striking with fists; (punishment by) striking with fists

拳々服膺

けんけんふくよう

firmly bear in mind; have something engraved on one's mind (heart); firmly bear in mind

赤手空拳

せきしゅくうけん

barehanded; having no wealth or position to rely on (aside from one's own resourcefulness) (when embarking on something); barehanded

Proverbs & Idioms

拳を振り上げる

こぶしをふりあげる

To raise one's fist

To show anger or protest