健

jiàn

亻 + 建

Definitions

jiàn (adjective) healthy; strong

jiàn (verb) to strengthen; to invigorate

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 亻 represents the meaning and 建 represents the sound.

About

A phonosemantic compound, 健 combines the meaning component 亻 (person) with the sound component 建 (jiàn). The character originally described a person of physical strength and vitality, and it has consistently denoted health, vigor, and athletic capability. Its use frequently appears in contexts of well‑being and physical prowess.

Etymology Hide

Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)

Clerical Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)

Traditional Modern

Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

他非常健康。

Tā fēicháng jiànkāng.

He is very healthy.

健身对身体好。

Jiànshēn duì shēntǐ hǎo.

Exercise is good for the body.

运动员很健壮。

Yùndòngyuán hěn jiànzhuàng.

Athletes are very strong.

她每天坚持健身。

Tā měitiān jiānchí jiànshēn.

She insists on exercising every day.

健康饮食很重要。

Jiànkāng yǐnshí hěn zhòngyào.

Healthy eating is very important.

健忘的人常丢东西。

Jiànwàng de rén cháng diū dōngxi.

Forgetful people often lose things.

我们要保持身体健康。

Wǒmen yào bǎochí shēntǐ jiànkāng.

We need to maintain good health.

公司致力于健全管理制度。

Gōngsī zhìlì yú jiànquán guǎnlǐ zhìdù.

The company is committed to improving the management system.

Related Characters

Component: 亻

Component: 建

健