堅い
かたい
solid, steady, formal
By Nihongo PathUpdated
Examples
彼は口が堅い。
かれはくちがかたい。
He can keep a secret.
堅い仕事に就きたい。
かたいしごとにつきたい。
I want a steady, secure job.
堅い話はこれで終わりにしよう。
かたいはなしはこれでおわりにしよう。
Let's end the serious talk here.
彼の会社は経営が堅い。
かれのかいしゃはけいえいがかたい。
His company is run on solid footing.
Common patterns
- 口が堅い
- to be tight-lipped
- 堅い仕事
- a secure, respectable job
- 堅い話
- a serious, stiff topic
Often confused with
Memory tip
Three かたい share a reading: 硬い is physically hard (metal, a stiff shoulder), 固い is firmly fixed (a tight lid, a firm promise), and 堅い is dependable and serious (a steady job, a strait-laced person, 口が堅い).
Kanji in this word
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What does 堅い mean?