Ken or KEN may refer to:

Technology

People

See also

The ken (間) is a traditional Japanese unit of length, equal to six Japanese feet (shaku). The exact value has varied over time and location but has generally been a little shorter than 2 meters (6 ft 7 in). It is now standardized as 1 ⁹/₁₁meter.

Although mostly supplanted by the metric system, this unit is a common measurement in Japanese architecture, where it is used as a proportion for the intervals between the pillars of traditional-style buildings. In this context, it is commonly translated as "bay". The length also appears in other contexts, such as the standard length of the bō staff in Japanese martial arts and the standard dimensions of the tatami mats. As these are used to cover the floors of most Japanese houses, floor surfaces are still commonly measured not in square meters but in "tatami" which are equivalent to half of a square ken.

Word

Among English loanwords of Japanese origin, both ken and ma are derived from readings of the same character 間.

This kanji graphically combines 門 "door" and 日 "sun". The earlier variant character 閒 was written with 月 "moon" rather than "sun", depicting "A 門 door through the crevice of which the 月 moonshine peeps in".

Lee Jae-hwan (Hangul: 이재환, born April 6, 1992), better known by his stage name Ken (Hangul: 켄), is a South Korean singer and actor, signed under Jellyfish Entertainment. He is one of the main vocalists the South Korean boy group VIXX and has been widely praised for his unique, soulful, and husky vocal tone. Ken began his acting career in 2013 in MBC Every 1's comedy drama Boarding House No. 24 as Lee Jaehwan.

Early Life

Born April 6, 1992 in Jayang-dong, Seoul, South Korea, Ken's family consists of his parents, himself and two older brothers. He studied at Baekseok Arts University majoring in Practical Music. At a young age, he entered and won many singing competitions at local festivals. He later performed and won more singing competitions in middle school as part of a team with his friends. He has won multiple song-writing awards prior to debuting with VIXX.

Career

2012-2013: Debut with VIXX, acting debut and OSTs

Despite an absence of any of dance experience, Ken was able to pass his audition to Jellyfish Entertainment because of his singing where he trained for five months before debuting with VIXX. During this time Ken was one of ten trainees who were contestants in Mnet's survival reality show MyDOL and was chosen to be apart of the final line-up and the 6-member boy group finally debuted with "Super Hero" on May 24, 2012 on M! Countdown.