Kanji 寒: cold

Key takeaways

Kanji 寒: cold. Readings and core meaning.

See vocabulary and examples below.

Kanji at a glance

寒

Meaning

cold

On reading

カン

Kun reading

さむ.い

Radical

宀

Core meaning / core image

Core meaning: 寒

cold

Kanji structure breakdown

寒

Structure breakdown

宀 + 三 + 八 + 冫

Mnemonic story

Inside the house (宀), even with three (三) or eight (八) layers of blankets, it is so cold that ice (冫) forms on the floor. This kanji represents the freezing cold of midwinter.

On'yomi and kun'yomi

On reading

カン

寒気かんき
chill / cold feeling / frost
寒帯かんたい
frigid zone / cold climate region

Kun reading

さむ.い

寒いさむい
cold (temperature)

Commonly used words

寒気
かんき
chill / cold feeling / frost
寒帯
かんたい
frigid zone / cold climate region
寒い
さむい
cold (temperature)

Example sentences

Example 1

風が強くて寒気がした。

Translation

The wind was strong, and I felt a chill.

Example 2

熱があって寒気がひどい。

Translation

I have a fever and severe chills.

Example 3

寒帯では冬がとても長いです。

Translation

Winters are very long in the frigid zone.

Example 4

寒帯の動物は寒さに強いです。

Translation

Animals in the frigid zone are resistant to cold.

Kanji 寒: cold

Kanji at a glance

Core meaning / core image

Kanji structure breakdown

Mnemonic story

On'yomi and kun'yomi

On reading

Kun reading

Commonly used words

Example sentences

寒気 (かんき): meaning and examples

寒帯 (かんたい): meaning and examples

寒い (さむい): meaning and examples