ChiramiN4 kanji · 4 strokes
公 means public
八 open up · 厶 private
公Real origin
Opening up (八) what was private (厶): public.
Real origin: where the kanji comes from, as far as scholars agree.
Meaning and readings
- Meanings
- public, prince, official, governmental
- JLPT level
- N4
- Strokes
- 4
- School grade
- Grade 2 in Japan
Japanese (kunyomi) おおやけ ooyake
おおやけ (ooyake) 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) コウ kou
コウ (kou) came from Chinese with the character. You mostly hear it in words made of several kanji. Dictionaries call this the on reading.
Other readings from Chinese: ク ku
Tap a reading to see when it's used. Why kanji have two kinds of reading: onyomi vs kunyomi.
Common word
公開 こうかい · koukai
opening to the public, making available to the public
Built from
- 八 eight, split apart
- 厶 private
Tap a part to see the N5 and N4 kanji that use it.
Quick check
What does 公 mean?
Right: 公 means public.Not quite: 公 means public.In 公開, which reading does 公 use?
Right. 公開 is read こうかい (koukai): 公 takes コウ, its reading from Chinese.Not quite. 公開 is read こうかい (koukai): 公 takes コウ, its reading from Chinese.