肝心(かんじん)

Describes what is most essential or crucial in a situation. Often used to highlight the key point that should not be overlooked or forgotten.

Common collocations

• 肝心(かんじん)なこと: the essential thing
• 肝心(かんじん)なところ: the crucial point/moment
• 肝心(かんじん)な問題(もんだい): the key issue
• 肝心(かんじん)の時(とき)に: at the critical moment

Usage

Used as a na-adjective modifying nouns with な. The form 肝心(かんじん)の is also very common, especially in the pattern 肝心(かんじん)の～が... where the crucial thing is the topic of the sentence.

Similar words

• 大切(たいせつ): important — general importance, often emotional
• 重要(じゅうよう): important — formal, objective importance
• 肝心(かんじん): crucial — emphasizes the single most critical point in context

Etymology

Originally written 肝腎(かんじん), combining 肝(きも) (liver) and 腎(じん) (kidney) — the two organs considered most vital in traditional Chinese medicine. The modern spelling 肝心(かんじん) replaces 腎(じん) with 心(しん) (heart).