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Chinese name character

Chinese name character 健

jiàn

The character 健 (Mandarin jiàn) appears in 9 names and 8 syllables in this reference and is spelled Jian, Kien, Khein, Chean and Ken in Malaysia. Recorded meanings include “strong, robust; healthy”.

Names and syllables
17
Malaysian spellings
8
Strokes
10
Attested in records
10

17 names and syllables in this reference have 健 as one of their character options. For 10 of them, 健 is attested in records of real names; the rest are possible characters for that spelling.

Meanings of 健: the recorded options

  • strong, robust; healthy

    in 14 character options · attested

Unihan definition: strong, robust, healthy; strength

What a name means depends on the characters the family chose and how they combine; these are options, not one definite meaning.

Malaysian spellings of 健

健 Jian Mandarin Kien Hokkien · Hakka Khein Hakka Chean romanization not stated Ken Hakka Kin Cantonese Chien romanization not stated Khen Hakka
健 yields 8 spellings in our records. The label under each spelling is the romanization it follows, not the bearer’s dialect.
SpellingRomanizationattested in name records
JianMandarinattested in name records
KienHokkien · Hakkaattested in name records
KheinHakkaattested in name records
Cheanromanization not statedattested in name records
KenHakkaattested in name records
KinCantonesepossible
Chienromanization not statedpossible
KhenHakkapossible

Readings of 健 by dialect

DialectReadingMalaysian spelling
HokkienPe̍h-ōe-jī kiān Kien
CantoneseJyutping gin6 Kin
HakkaPha̍k-fa-sṳ khien Kien, Khein, Ken, Khen
MandarinHanyu Pinyin jiàn Jian

Readings from the character options in our name records; Unihan gives Mandarin jiàn and Cantonese gin6.

9 names that can be written with 健

8 syllables that can stand for 健

Sources

  1. Wiktionary: 健 · en.wiktionary.org · meaning
  2. MDBG: 健 · mdbg.net · meaning
  3. Unicode Unihan Database: U+5065 · unicode.org · meaning

Readings, meanings and stroke count: the character options in our name records and the Unicode Unihan Database (Unicode License). A spelling describes how a name is written, not anyone’s dialect or background.

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Frequently asked questions

What does 健 mean in a name?

Our records give several meanings for 健, including “strong, robust; healthy”. What a name actually means depends on the characters the family chose and how they combine.

How is 健 spelled in Malaysia?

In our records 健 is spelled Jian (Mandarin), Kien (Hokkien, Hakka), Khein (Hakka), Chean, Ken (Hakka), Kin (Cantonese), Chien and Khen (Hakka). A spelling follows a dialect’s romanization; it does not show which dialect anyone speaks.

Is every Jian written 健?

Not necessarily. The spelling Jian can also stand for 建, 剑, 坚. Only the family knows which character was chosen.