Readings: キョク, ゴク (Onyomi), きわ-める, きわ-まる, きわ-み (Kunyomi)
Meaning: Pole, extreme, peak, utmost, culmination, apex, ultimate, very.
Formed from the radical 木 (tree) and the phonetic component 亟 (jí), which implies ‘urgently’ or ‘rapidly reaching a limit’. The combination suggests reaching the ‘extreme end’ or ‘utmost point’ of something, like the top of a tree.
View JLPT N2 Kanji ListHow to Write – Stroke Order
The kanji 極 is written in 12 strokes. Start with the ‘木’ radical on the left, writing the horizontal, then the vertical, then the two diagonal strokes. For the right side, write the top horizontal stroke, followed by the two vertical strokes with hooks, then the bottom horizontal stroke, and finally the four dots/strokes at the bottom.
Kanji Details
| Radical | 木 (き – tree) |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 12 |
| JLPT Level | N2 |
| Grade | 6 |
Readings with English Transcription
Onyomi (Chinese readings)
- 極 (kyoku)
- 極 (goku)
Kunyomi (Japanese readings)
- 極める (kiwameru)
- 極まる (kiwamaru)
- 極み (kiwami)
Common Words Using 極
Onyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 積極的 | せっきょくてき | Positive, active, proactive |
| 消極的 | しょうきょくてき | Negative, passive, unenthusiastic |
| 北極 | ほっきょく | North Pole |
| 南極 | なんきょく | South Pole |
| 極端 | きょくたん | Extreme, radical |
| 極度 | きょくど | Extreme degree, utmost |
| 極秘 | ごくひ | Top secret |
| 極楽 | ごくらく | Paradise, Pure Land |
| 極微 | ごくび | Extremely small, minute |
| 至極 | しごく | Utmost, exceedingly |
Kunyomi Readings
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 極める | きわめる | To master, to perfect, to carry to extremes |
| 極まる | きわまる | To reach an extreme, to be at an end, to be in an extreme state |
| 極み | きわみ | The utmost, the height, the peak |
| 極めて | きわめて | Extremely, very (adverb) |
| 極め付け | きわめつけ | The finest, a masterpiece |
| 極め付き | きわめつき | The ultimate, a guarantee of quality (variant of 極め付け) |
| 極め通す | きわめとおす | To master completely, to carry through to the end |
| 極まりない | きわまりない | Unlimited, boundless, endless |
| 極め尽くす | きわめつくす | To exhaustively investigate, to master completely |
| 極め物 | きわめもの | An item of superb quality, something perfected |
Example Sentences
Japanese: 彼の歌声は美しさの極みだ。
Kana: かれのうたごえはうつくしさのきわみだ。
Romaji: Kare no utagoe wa utsukushisa no kiwami da.
English: His singing voice is the height of beauty.
Japanese: 彼は料理の腕を極めている。
Kana: かれはりょうりのうでをきわめている。
Romaji: Kare wa ryōri no ude o kiwamete iru.
English: He has mastered the art of cooking.
Japanese: 問題は極めて複雑だ。
Kana: もんだいはきわめてふくざつだ。
Romaji: Mondai wa kiwamete fukuzatsu da.
English: The problem is extremely complicated.
Japanese: 彼女は人生の苦しみを極めた。
Kana: かのじょはじんせいのくるしみをきわめた。
Romaji: Kanojo wa jinsei no kurushimi o kiwameta.
English: She has experienced the extremes of life’s suffering.
Japanese: 会議は極秘に行われた。
Kana: かいぎはごくひにおこなわれた。
Romaji: Kaigi wa gokuhi ni okonawareta.
English: The meeting was held in top secret.
Japanese: 北極と南極は地球の両極だ。
Kana: ほっきょくとみなみきょくはちきゅうのりょうきょくだ。
Romaji: Hokkyoku to nankyoku wa chikyū no ryōkyoku da.
English: The North Pole and South Pole are the two poles of the Earth.
Japanese: その研究は科学の最先端を極めている。
Kana: そのけんきゅうはかがくのさいせんたんをきわめている。
Romaji: Sono kenkyū wa kagaku no saisentan o kiwamete iru.
English: That research is at the cutting edge of science.
Japanese: 感極まって涙が止まらなかった。
Kana: かんきわまってなみだがとまらなかった。
Romaji: Kan kiwamatte namida ga tomaranakatta.
English: Overcome with emotion, my tears wouldn’t stop.
Japanese: 彼の態度はあまりにも極端だった。
Kana: かれのたいどはあまりにもきょくたんだった。
Romaji: Kare no taido wa amari ni mo kyokutan datta.
English: His attitude was too extreme.
Japanese: この絵は芸術の極みと言える。
Kana: このえはげいじゅつのきわみといえる。
Romaji: Kono e wa geijutsu no kiwami to ieru.
English: This painting can be called the pinnacle of art.
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