音読み: エイ
訓読み: するどい
画数: 15
部首: 金（かねへん）
Meaning
Sharp / Pointed / Keen.
- 鋭い — sharp; keen
- 鋭利 — sharp; pointed
- 精鋭 — the elite; the best and sharpest
- 新鋭 — up-and-coming; new and energetic
- 気鋭 — keen and spirited (person)
- 鋭さ — sharpness; keenness
鋭 is built from the radical 金 “metal” plus the phonetic element 兑（エイ）. Imagine the edge of a metal blade that cuts cleanly — the sense becomes “sharp, keen, pointed.”
Link 鋭 to the words 精鋭・新鋭・気鋭.
Fresh 新 energy and keen 気 focus produce the
精 of “the elite” — people with razor-sharp ability.
When you feel that cutting edge, think 鋭.
Forms
鋭利 — sharp; pointed (literally “keen + cutting”)