健

Core sense of robustness, health, and structural integrity.

• Physical: Healthy or robust; specifically denotes the absence of infirmity and the capacity for function and endurance.
• Mental/Spiritual: A resilient, stable mind or spirit that is not easily shaken.

• Adjective: Healthy, robust, vigorous.
• Noun: Health, vigor, strength.
• Verb: Occasionally "to make healthy/strong" (rare; verify by immediate context).

• 健 vs. 强 (qiáng): While 强 often implies power, dominance, or the ability to resist external force, 健 emphasizes internal soundness and wellness.
• 健 vs. 壮 (zhuàng): While 壮 refers to bulk, maturity, or being in the prime of life, 健 refers to the functional quality of health.

// Tang-period reading: //ghiæ̀n.

• Variant: U+5FA4 is a graphical variant with no change in meaning.

Etymologically linked to 建 (to establish/set up). The glyph denotes strength not as raw power or muscle (as in 力), but as a state of being upright, firm, and free from frailty or collapse.

The glyph occupies the intersection of medical wellness and physical capability. When choosing a rendering, determine if the text contrasts 健 with illness (suggesting "healthy") or with weakness (suggesting "robust" or "strong").