金
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
gold, money |
| Strokes |
8 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
キン、コン |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
かね、かな |
| Radical |
金 (kane-hen) [U+91D1] |
Stroke Order
The character follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: The top dot (left).
- Stroke 2: The top dot (right).
- Stroke 3: The horizontal top bar.
- Stroke 4: The long horizontal bar below the top.
- Stroke 5: The vertical line descending from the center.
- Stroke 6: The left diagonal leg.
- Stroke 7: The right diagonal leg.
- Stroke 8: The final horizontal base line.
Radical Analysis
The radical is 金 (kane-hen). In this kanji, it is the entire character itself. Historically, the top part represents a cover or a mine shaft, and the bottom part represents nuggets of metal buried in the earth. It is a pictograph that evolved to represent precious metal (gold) and, by extension, currency (money).
Mnemonic
Imagine a gold mine. The top part (人/dots) represents a person standing over the mine, and the bottom part represents the money (nuggets) hidden deep underground. If you have enough 金 (kane), you can afford a fancy roof over your head!
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
キン (Kin)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 金曜日 |
きんようび |
kin-yōbi |
Friday |
| 金メダル |
きんメダル |
kin-medaru |
Gold medal |
| 金庫 |
きんこ |
kinko |
Safe / Vault |
| 料金 |
りょうきん |
ryōkin |
Fee / Charge |
コン (Kon)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 五金 |
ごこん |
gokon |
Five metals (archaic) |
| 金剛 |
こんごう |
kongō |
Adamantine / Diamond |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
かね (Kane)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| お金 |
おかね |
o-kane |
Money |
| 金持ち |
かねもち |
kanemochi |
Rich person |
かな (Kana)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 金物 |
かなもの |
kanamono |
Hardware / Metalware |
| 金槌 |
かなづち |
kanazuchi |
Hammer |
JLPT N5 Words Using 金
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 金 |
かね |
kane |
Money |
N5 |
| 金曜日 |
きんようび |
kin-yōbi |
Friday |
N5 |
| お金 |
おかね |
o-kane |
Money |
N5 |
| 料金 |
りょうきん |
ryōkin |
Fee |
N4 |
| 金持ち |
かねもち |
kanemochi |
Rich person |
N4 |
| 現金 |
げんきん |
genkin |
Cash |
N4 |
| 貯金 |
ちょきん |
chokin |
Savings |
N4 |
| 賃金 |
ちんぎん |
chingin |
Wages |
N3 |
| 金額 |
きんがく |
kingaku |
Amount of money |
N3 |
| 基金 |
ききん |
kikin |
Fund / Endowment |
N2 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 今日は金曜日です。 |
きょうはきんようびです。 |
Kyō wa kin-yōbi desu. |
Today is Friday. |
| お金がありません。 |
おかねがありません。 |
O-kane ga arimasen. |
I don't have any money. |
| 彼はとても金持ちです。 |
かれはとてもかねもちです。 |
Kare wa totemo kanemochi desu. |
He is very rich. |
| 料金を払ってください。 |
りょうきんをはらってください。 |
Ryōkin o haratte kudasai. |
Please pay the fee. |
| 銀行で現金を下ろします。 |
ぎんこうでげんきんをおろします。 |
Ginkō de genkin o oroshimasu. |
I will withdraw cash at the bank. |
| 貯金は大切です。 |
ちょきんはたいせつです。 |
Chokin wa taisetsu desu. |
Savings are important. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 全 |
ゼン |
All / Whole |
全 has a "top" (入) instead of the "mine/cover" structure of 金. |
| 針 |
ハリ |
Needle |
針 has the metal radical (金) on the left, but a different right side (十). |
Usage Frequency Note
金 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears daily in dates (days of the week), financial transactions, and general vocabulary regarding wealth. It is essential for daily life and is one of the first kanji taught to beginners.