Chinese character for health: 健康 (jiànkāng)
The Chinese word for health is 健康 (jiànkāng). It means health or healthy, as in 身体健康 (shēntǐ jiànkāng, good health), a common wish. Both characters are needed for the everyday word.
How 健康 is built
健 (jiàn) joins 亻, a person, with 建 (jiàn, to build), which also gives the sound: a person who is strong and well-built. 康 (kāng) sits under 广, a shelter, and its older meaning is less clear, so as a memory aid think of a well-kept home. Together, 健康 is a strong person in a peaceful home. Both are the same in simplified and traditional Chinese.
健 jiàn · strong
- 亻rén — person
- 建jiàn — to build
- 廴yǐn — to walk
- 聿yù — writing brush
- 肀yù — pen
Origin hint: Someone 亻 who can build 建 things; 建 also provides the pronunciation (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
康 kāng · health
- 广guǎng — broad
- 丶 — dot
- 厂chǎng — cliff
- 隶lì — subservient
- 彐jì — snout
- 二 — two strokes
- 氺shui — structural part
- 亅 — hook
- 彐jì — snout
Origin hint: A home 广 with a servant 隶 (from the Make Me a Hanzi dataset; treat as a memory aid where history is uncertain)
How 健康 is used
Before you use it as a tattoo or design: 健康 is identical in both scripts and is a very natural wish; a single 健 or 康 alone does not read as 'health'.
Questions
What is the Chinese character for health?
健康 (jiànkāng) means “health”.
How do you pronounce 健康?
健康 is pronounced jiànkāng.