古
古 — Old
old
On’yomiコ (ko)
Kun’yomiふるい (furui)
Kun’yomiふる- (furu)
Kun’yomi-ふるす (furusu)
Stroke order (5 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 古
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 古代 | こだい kodai | ancient times; distant past; antiquity |
| 古典 | こてん koten | classic (work, esp. book); the classics |
| 古墳 | こふん kofun | ancient burial mound; barrow; tumulus |
| 考古学 | こうこがく koukogaku | archaeology; archeology |
| 中古 | ちゅうこ chuuko | used; second-hand; old |
| 古書 | こしょ kosho | old book; rare book; classic |
Study notes
古 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 5 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #509 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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