兼

concurrently

JLPT N1 10 strokes

Kun'yomi: か.ねる・-か.ねる
On'yomi: ケン

兼 means "concurrently". It is a JLPT N1 kanji written in 10 strokes. It is read か.ねる・-か.ねる in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and ケン in compounds (on'yomi). It is taught beyond elementary school (junior high and up).

兼 in example sentences

彼かれは小説家しょうせつか兼けん画家がかである。

Kare wa shousetsuka ken gaka de aru.

He is a novelist and a painter.
思おもったことを気兼きがねなく言いっていいんだよ。

Omotta koto o kigane naku itte iin da yo.

Feel free to share your thoughts.
トムは気兼きがねすることなく自分じぶんの意見いけんを述のべたことがない。

Tomu wa kigane suru koto naku jibun no iken o nobeta koto ga nai.

Tom never felt comfortable expressing his own opinion.

Example sentences from the Tatoeba Project, licensed CC-BY 2.0 FR.

Stroke order & writing

Want more? Practice writing from memory. Stroke-order and animation sources are on our credits page.

Common questions

What does the kanji 兼 mean?: 兼 means "concurrently". It is a JLPT N1 kanji.
How many strokes does 兼 have?: 兼 is written in 10 strokes.
How is 兼 read?: It is read か.ねる・-か.ねる in native Japanese words (kun'yomi) and ケン in compounds (on'yomi).
What JLPT level is 兼?: 兼 is a JLPT N1 kanji.

Explore on the kanji map → Practice kanji