古 — Kanji Reference

古 (old): 5 strokes, JLPT N5. On: コ. Kun: ふる-い、ふる-す.

japanesekanjin5writing

古

Property Value
Meaning old
Strokes 5
JLPT Level N5
On-reading (音読み) コ
Kun-reading (訓読み) ふる-い、ふる-す
Radical 口 (くち - mouth) [U+53E3]

Stroke Order

The kanji 古 follows standard Japanese calligraphy rules: top-to-bottom and left-to-right.

  1. Stroke 1: The horizontal bar at the top (left to right).
  2. Stroke 2: The vertical line on the left (top to bottom).
  3. Stroke 3: The corner stroke (horizontal then vertical).
  4. Stroke 4: The vertical line on the right side of the box (top to bottom).
  5. Stroke 5: The final horizontal line closing the bottom of the box (left to right).

Radical Analysis

The kanji 古 is composed of two parts:

  • 十 (Ten): Represents a long period of time or many generations.
  • 口 (Mouth): Represents people passing down stories or traditions.

Analysis: The combination suggests "things that have been passed down by word of mouth through many generations," which leads to the meaning of "old" or "ancient."

Mnemonic

Imagine a ten (十)-year-old mouth (口) telling stories about the "old" days. Because it has been passed down through ten generations of mouths, it is officially "old."

On-readings (音読み) with Examples

コ (ko)

Word Reading Romaji English
中古 ちゅうこ chūko second-hand / used
古典 こてん koten classic (literature)
古代 こだい kodai ancient times
古都 こと koto ancient capital

Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples

ふる-い (furu-i)

Word Reading Romaji English
古い ふるい furui old (thing)
古本 ふるほん furuhon old book

ふる-す (furu-su)

Word Reading Romaji English
古す ふるす furusu to wear out / to use until old

JLPT N5 Words Using 古

Word Reading Romaji English JLPT
古い ふるい furui old N5
中古 ちゅうこ chūko second-hand N4
古本 ふるほん furuhon old book N4
古着 ふるぎ furugi old clothes N4
古代 こだい kodai ancient times N3
古典 こてん koten classic N3
古都 こと koto ancient capital N3
古風 こふう kofū old-fashioned N2

Example Sentences

Japanese Reading Romaji English
この本はとても古いです。 このほんはとてもふるいです。 Kono hon wa totemo furui desu. This book is very old.
私は中古の車を買いました。 わたしはちゅうこのくるまをかいました。 Watashi wa chūko no kuruma o kaimashita. I bought a used car.
京都は日本の古都です。 きょうとはにほんのことです。 Kyōto wa Nihon no koto desu. Kyoto is an ancient capital of Japan.
古い友人に会いました。 ふるいゆうじんにあいました。 Furui yūjin ni aimashita. I met an old friend.
彼は古風な考えを持っています。 かれはこふうなかんがえをもっています。 Kare wa kofū na kangae o motte imasu. He has old-fashioned ideas.
古代の歴史を勉強します。 こだいのかんがえをべんきょうします。 Kodai no rekishi o benkyō shimasu. I study ancient history.

Common Confusion Pairs

Kanji Reading Meaning How to distinguish
古 コ / ふる Old Has a horizontal line on top (十).
舌 ゼツ / した Tongue The top part is 千 (thousand), not 十.
右 ウ / みぎ Right The top part is a slash and horizontal line.

Usage Frequency Note

古 is a high-frequency kanji used daily in both formal and informal contexts. It is one of the first kanji learned by students (Grade 2 level in Japan). You will see it frequently in signs for second-hand shops (中古), historical contexts, and simple descriptions of age.