かんかん

adverb, na-adjective, onomatopoeia

furious; scorching; clanging

1. furious, livid

Extremely angry. Used to describe someone who is visibly enraged.

母(はは)はかんかんだ。

Mom is furious.

I was late and got furiously scolded by the teacher.

She's absolutely livid because he broke his promise.

2. scorching, blazing

Describes intense, beating heat from the sun.

かんかん照(で)りの日(ひ)。

A scorching sunny day.

I walked in the blazing midsummer sun.

The sun was blazing down and the asphalt had become hot.

3. clanging, banging

The sound of metal being struck repeatedly.

To clang away at iron.

The railroad crossing alarm is clanging.

A clanging metallic sound could be heard from the construction site.

The three meanings of かんかん are distinct and context makes clear which is intended.

Sense 1 (furious) most commonly appears in the pattern かんかんに怒(おこ)る. It can also be used as a na-adjective predicate: かんかんだ.

Sense 2 (scorching) almost always appears in the fixed expression かんかん照(で)り (blazing sunshine).

Sense 3 (clanging) is onomatopoeic, representing the sound of metal being struck.

Related Words

Related: じりじり (scorching)

general

Added 2026.2.10 17:06 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

10500/10789_kankan