KaiwaGo古 kanji: meaning, readings and stroke order
古 means “old”. It is written with 5 strokes and is a JLPT N5 kanji.
On’yomi: コ (ko). Kun’yomi: ふる.い (furui).
How to write 古 (stroke order)
Write 古 in 5 strokes, following the numbers. Each small box adds one stroke; the red line is the stroke to draw.
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
General rules: top before bottom, left before right, horizontal before a vertical that crosses it, and a closing bottom stroke last. Writing in the right order makes handwriting readable and helps you count strokes when you look a kanji up.
Practice writing 古
Trace 古 over the faint model with your finger or mouse, following the stroke order above. Turn the model off to write it from memory.
Readings of 古
| On’yomi (Chinese reading) | コ (ko) |
|---|---|
| Kun’yomi (Japanese reading) | ふる.い (furui) |
The on’yomi is usually used in compound words, the kun’yomi when 古 stands alone or is followed by hiragana. A dot (.) marks where the hiragana ending starts.
Example words with 古
| Word | Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 古い | ふるい furui | old (thing) | |
| 中古 | ちゅうこ chuuko | secondhand |
古い (furui) means “old (thing)”.
中古 (chuuko) means “secondhand”. Also in this word: 中
FAQ
What does 古 mean in Japanese?
古 means “old”. Common words with it are 古い (furui, “old (thing)”) and 中古 (chuuko, “secondhand”).
How many strokes does 古 have?
古 has 5 strokes. Follow the stroke-order diagram on this page from stroke 1 to 5.
How do you read 古?
The on’yomi is コ (ko) and the kun’yomi is ふる.い (furui). Which one is used depends on the word.
Is 古 on the JLPT N5?
Yes. 古 is kanji number 44 of the 101 N5 kanji on this site.