肝 gān
noun
: liver
Kun Reading
肝 | きも kimo
noun
: liver; innards
: courage; spirit; pluck; guts
On Reading
カン kan
肝炎 gan1yan2: hepatitis [かんえん kanen: hepatitis]
甲肝 jia3gan1: hepatitis A [Ａ型肝炎 | エーがたかんえん a-gata kanen: hepatitis A]
乙肝 yi3gan1: hepatitis B [Ｂ型肝炎 | ビーがたかんえん B-gata kanen: hepatitis B]
肝火 gan1huo3: irascibility; irritability; (TCM) inflammation of the liver
肝病 gan1bing4: liver disease
肝癌 gan1’ai2: liver cancer [かんがん kangan: liver cancer (esp. hepatoma)]
肝脏 gan1zang4: liver
心肝 xin1’gan1: darling; (in negative sentences) heart; humanity
[しんかん shinkan: heart]
[肝心 | かんじん kanshin: essential; fundamental; crucial; vital; main]
鹅肝 e2gan1: foie gras [フォアグラ fuoagura]
猪肝 zhu1gan1: pork liver
Japanese common word | expression | yojijukugo 四字熟語 | idiom
肝に銘じる | きもにめいじる kimo ni meijiru
: to be deeply impressed; to take to heart; to engrave on one’s heart; to bear in mind
肝が据わる | きもがすわる kimo ga suwaru
: to have guts; to be plucky; to have nerves of steel
肝をつぶす | きもをつぶす kimo o tsubusu
: to be frightened out of one’s wits; to be amazed; to be astounded; to be stunned
肝を据える | きもをすえる kimo o sueru
: to do with determination
肝胆相照す | かんたんあいてらす kantanaiterasu
: to be profoundly compatible; to be inseparable; to be so close as to reveal to each other the bottom of one’s heart
肝を冷やす | きもをひやす kimo o hiyasu
: to be struck with terror; to be terrified; to be scared to death
度肝を抜く | どぎもをぬく dogimo o nuku
: to knock or scare (someone) out of his or her wits; to strike a person dumb; to dumbfound; to take (someone) aback
Chinese expression | chengyu 成語 | idiom | proverb
肝腦塗地 [肝脑涂地] gan1 nao3 tu2 di4
: to offer one’s life in sacrifice
肝腸寸斷 [肝肠寸断] gan1 chang2 cun4 duan4
: lit. liver and guts cut to pieces; broken-hearted; all cut up
揪心扒肝 jiu1 xin1 ba1 gan1
: lit. grips the heart, seizes the liver; fear grips the heart; worried out of one’s wits; scared stiff
披肝瀝膽 [披肝沥胆] pi1 gan1 li4 dan3
: lit. to open one’s liver and drip gall; whole-hearted loyalty
剖肝瀝膽 [剖肝沥胆] pou1 gan1 li4 dan3
: to be completely honest and sincere
好心倒做了驢肝肺 [好心倒做了驴肝肺] hao3 xin1 dao4 zuo4 le5 lü2 gan1 fei1
: lit. to mistake good intentions for a donkey’s liver and lungs; fig. to mistake good intentions for ill intent
形声 Pictophonetic.
⺼ (meat CJK radical) suggests the meaning while
干 (gan1 | gan4: dry; oppose) provides the sound.
Examples:
落ち着きが肝心です。
おちつきがかんじんです ochitsuki ga kanshin desu
It is crucial we keep calm. (We must keep calm)
[谚] 人若無希望，心碎肝腸斷。
ren ruo4 wu2 xi1wang4, xin1sui4 gan1chang2 duan4
If it were not for hope, the heart would break.
Resources: Chinese Dictionary | Japanese Dictionary
