堅(かた)い

かたい
i-adjective
firm; solid; strict; reliable; stiff
personalityevaluation
See also: 硬(かた)い (hard, stiff (硬)), 固(かた)い (firm, tight (固))
Conjugation
AffirmativeNegative
Present堅(かた)い堅(かた)くない
Past堅(かた)かった堅(かた)くなかった
て form堅(かた)くて堅(かた)くなくて
Adverbial堅(かた)く—
Conditional ば堅(かた)ければ堅(かた)くなければ
Conditional たら堅(かた)かったら堅(かた)くなかったら
1. firm; solid; strong; secure
Firmly held, secured, or established. Used for things that are reliably solid, like a firm handshake, solid defense, or secure promise.
堅(かた)い握手(あくしゅ)を交(か)わした。
We exchanged a firm handshake.
堅(かた)い守(まも)りで失点(しってん)を防(ふせ)いだ。
A solid defense prevented them from scoring.
彼(かれ)の当選(とうせん)は堅(かた)いと言(い)われている。
His election victory is said to be a sure thing.
2. strict; upright; serious; rigid in character
Describes a person or behavior that is strict, serious, principled, or inflexible. Can be positive (reliable, upright) or negative (stiff, uptight).
彼女(かのじょ)は堅(かた)い人(ひと)だ。
She is a strait-laced person.
そんなに堅(かた)いことを言(い)うなよ。
Don't be so rigid about it.
口(くち)が堅(かた)いから秘密(ひみつ)を話(はな)しても大丈夫(だいじょうぶ)だよ。
He can keep a secret, so it's fine to tell him.

堅(かた)い covers firmness that can be relied on (a promise, a defense, a win) and firmness of character (serious, principled, sometimes too rigid).

Common collocations

Similar words

Three kanji share the reading かたい:

  • 硬(かた)い: hard in substance or texture (a hard mattress, stiff expression)
  • 固(かた)い: firmly fixed, solid, tight (a tight knot, firm resolve)
  • 堅(かた)い: firm and dependable; strait-laced (this entry)

Usage overlaps, and 固(かた)い is often accepted for all three.

Related Words

Compare: 生真面目(きまじめ) (overly serious)
Compare: 真面目(まじめ)な (serious)
Compare: 真面目(まじめ)くさい (overly serious)
general
Added 2026.3.23 11:04 · Revised 2026.9.29 2:44
18500/18753_katai