賢 in Japanese names

賢

けん · ken

One reading, not every name reading

The example reading けん (ken) is attached to this single kanji entry. Japanese names can use other accepted readings, and the reading of a complete name cannot safely be guessed by joining single-character readings. Unicode Unihan lists 15 strokes for this character; writing variants may count differently.

What it can suggest

賢 is associated here with wise. A dictionary gloss gives context, but it does not establish the exact impression of every personal name that uses this kanji. The written form, full reading and neighboring characters all matter.

How this character appears in names

Wisdom can lend an intellectual tone, but the complete name determines how formal it sounds.

Selected full-name examples

This character has no selected full-name example in the current collection. We show it as a reference kanji, not as an automatically approved name.

Related kanji in the guide include 真, 智, 直, 理, 尋. Do not combine them solely because their themes match. Explore the reviewed-name generator instead.