ChiramiN4 kanji · 5 strokes
古 means old
古
十 ten · 口 mouth
古Memory trick
A story passed through ten (十) mouths (口): old.
Memory trick: a picture to help you remember the kanji, not its history.
Meaning and readings
- Meaning
- old
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 5
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) ふるい furui
ふるい (furui) is the Japanese word for this kanji. You use it when the kanji stands alone or has kana after it. Dictionaries call this the kun reading.
From Chinese (onyomi) コ ko
コ (ko) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
古い ふるい · furui
old, aged
Built from
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
Quick check
What does 古 mean?
Right: 古 means old.Not quite: 古 means old.In 古い, which reading does 古 use?
Right. 古い is read ふるい (furui): 古 takes ふる, its Japanese reading, with い after it.Not quite. 古い is read ふるい (furui): 古 takes ふる, its Japanese reading, with い after it.