Japanese Kanji for Health: 健康 — What the Word Is Made Of
The Japanese kanji for health consists of two characters: 健 (strong, 11 strokes) and 康 (well-being, 11 strokes). Together, 健康 (kenkō) means 'health'. The first character contains the radical 'person' 亻, the second goes back to the idea of peace and prosperity. The word is not written with a single kanji.
Japanese health is assembled from 'strength' and 'peace': not the absence of illness, but a state in which the body is strong and life is well-ordered. Hence the greeting お元気ですか — a question not about symptoms, but about whether a person has vitality.
How to Write the Japanese Kanji for Health
健 — значение: strong, healthy — онъёми: ケン — кунъёми: すこ.やか — 11 штрих(ов). The first character of the word 健康. Click 'Show stroke order' — the strokes will appear as in handwriting.
The Second Character — 康
康 means 'peace, well-being'. In the pair 健康, it yields 'strength plus well-being' — a state, not a medical indicator. The character 康 is familiar from the name Tokugawa Ieyasu (徳川家康), the founder of the shogunate.
Words About Health
| Japanese | Reading | Translation |
|---|---|---|
| 健康 | kenkō · kenkō | Health |
| 元気 | genki · genki | Vitality, good spirits |
| 体 | karada · karada | Body |
| 病気 | byōki · byōki | Illness |
| 健康診断 | kenkō shindan · kenkō shindan | Medical checkup |
| お大事に | o-daiji ni · o-daiji ni | Get well soon, take care (what you say to someone who is ill) |
Kenkō or genki — when to use which
健康 is health as a state of the body: doctors talk about it and it appears on forms. 元気 is vitality and mood right now: that's what you ask about when meeting someone. A person can be 健康 but not 元気 today — and vice versa.
Write 健 Yourself
Trace the character along the guides — the system will evaluate each stroke.
FAQ
- Which Japanese kanji means health?
- The word 'health' is written with two characters — 健康 (kenkō): 健 'strong' and 康 'well-being'. It is not written with a single kanji.
- How do you say 'health' in Japanese?
- 健康 (kenkō). 'To be healthy' is 健康です, 'to take care of one's health' is 健康に気をつける.
- How is 健康 different from 元気?
- 健康 is a state of the body, medical. 元気 is vitality and mood right now. When meeting someone, you ask about 元気.
- What do you say to someone who is ill in Japanese?
- お大事に (o-daiji ni) — 'take care, get well soon'. It's the standard phrase, also said at the pharmacy and in the hospital.
Updated: 2026-07-25