験 – Kanji Meaning, Reading, and Common Words

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What does 験 mean in Japanese?

験 means to test, verify, or experience. You will almost always meet it in compounds — above all 試験 (shiken, exam) and 経験 (keiken, experience) — rather than on its own.

The reading is the on’yomi ケン in every common word: 試験 (exam), 経験 (experience), 実験 (jikken, experiment), 受験 (juken, taking an exam). There is no everyday kun’yomi. The left side is 馬 (horse), a hint to its origin in ‘testing/proving’.

Reading

On’yomi: ケン (ken)

Kun’yomi: —

Basic Information

Kanji 験
Meaning test, verify, experience
Stroke Count 18
JLPT Level N4

How to Understand This Kanji

験 clusters into two everyday areas. ‘Testing’: 試験 (shiken, exam), 実験 (jikken, a scientific experiment), 受験 (juken, the act of sitting an exam) and 受験生 (jukensei, a student preparing for exams). ‘Experience’: 経験 (keiken) is experience in the general sense of what you have done or been through (仕事の経験, work experience), while 体験 (taiken) is a first-hand, hands-on experience of a specific event or activity (地震を体験する, to experience an earthquake; 体験入学, a trial class). There is no kun’yomi to learn, so 験 is always ケン.

Common Words

  • 試験（しけん / shiken） — exam, test
  • 経験（けいけん / keiken） — experience (general)
  • 実験（じっけん / jikken） — experiment
  • 体験（たいけん / taiken） — first-hand experience
  • 受験（じゅけん / juken） — taking an exam
  • 受験生（じゅけんせい / jukensei） — an exam candidate/student

Example Sentences

  • 日本で働いた経験があります。

    にほんではたらいたけいけんがあります。 / Nihon de hataraita keiken ga arimasu.

    I have experience working in Japan.

  • 明日は大切な試験があるので、早く寝ます。

    あしたはたいせつなしけんがあるので、はやくねます。 / Ashita wa taisetsu na shiken ga aru node, hayaku nemasu.

    I have an important exam tomorrow, so I’ll go to bed early.

  • 理科の授業で面白い実験をしました。

    りかのじゅぎょうでおもしろいじっけんをしました。 / Rika no jugyou de omoshiroi jikken o shimashita.

    We did an interesting experiment in science class.

Related Kanji

  • 試

    — Try/test — 試験 (exam) = 試 + 験; the two kanji together form the everyday word for an examination

  • 体

    — Body/first-hand — 体験 (hands-on experience) = 体 + 験; 体 adds the sense of experiencing something with your own body, in person

  • 勉

    — Study/effort — 受験勉強 (studying for exams) joins 受験 and 勉強; a 受験生 does 勉強 to pass the 試験, so 験 and 勉 sit in the same study cluster

When Learners Usually See This Kanji

The two must-know words are 試験 (shiken, exam) and 経験 (keiken, experience). Both use ケン, and both are extremely common. 試験 pairs 試 (try) + 験 (test); 経験 pairs 経 (pass through) + 験.

Distinguish 経験 (keiken) and 体験 (taiken). 経験 is broad, accumulated experience — skills and knowledge built up over time (経験がある, to be experienced). 体験 is a single, concrete, first-hand experience of an event (体験談, a first-hand account; 体験学習, hands-on learning). If it is ‘general track record’, use 経験; if it is ‘living through one specific thing’, use 体験.

受験 (juken) is a whole culture in Japan — sitting entrance exams — and 受験生 (jukensei) is a student in exam-prep mode. Connect it back to your study vocabulary: a 受験生 does lots of 勉強 (study) for the 試験 (exam).

Summary

験 means to test or experience and appears only in compounds, above all 試験 (exam) and 経験 (experience). It is always read ケン, with no everyday kun’yomi.