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Kanji Detail for 古 - "old, ancient, former"

  • Meaning

    古 means "old, ancient, former."

    1. Old - Ancient; antiquated; from the past.

    2. Ancient times - History; the past.

    3. To age - To make old; to wear out through use.

  • Words using

    • 古代 こだい Listen ancient times; distant past; antiquity
    • 古典 こてん Listen classic (work, esp. book); the classics
    • 古墳 こふん Listen ancient burial mound; barrow; tumulus
    • 考古学 こうこがく Listen archaeology; archeology
    • 中古 ちゅうこ Listen used; second-hand; old
    • 古書 こしょ Listen old book; rare book; classic
    • 最古 さいこ Listen the oldest; the earliest
    • 中古車 ちゅうこしゃ Listen used car; secondhand car
  • Four-character idioms with

    • 王政復古 おうせいふっこ Listen restoration of imperial rule; Restoration (England)
    • 万古不易 ばんこふえき Listen eternally unchanging
    • 千古万古 せんこばんこ Listen remote antiquity; ancient times; the remote past
    • 千古不易 せんこふえき Listen eternally unchanging
    • 千古不滅 せんこふめつ Listen everlasting; unchangeable; immortal
    • 千古不磨 せんこふま Listen permanence; immortality; eternity
  • Tattoo check:

    • Verified meaning: old, ancient, former
    • Official Jōyō kanji — a standard character every Japanese reader recognises
    • Used in real Japanese given names (read いにし, いにしえ, こ, こさき)

    A single kanji rarely maps one-to-one onto an English word. Read the meanings and associations above as a set — a character that fits the dictionary definition can still carry a connotation you did not intend.

  • Name readings of

    Given names (いにし)Listen (いにしえ)Listen (ひさし)Listen

    Surnames ()Listen (こさき)Listen (こざき)Listen (こしお)Listen (こやなぎ)Listen (ふるたか)Listen (ふるはま)Listen

  • Dictionary Citations

    The meaning above is based on the following sources:

    KANJIDIC2 A comprehensive Japanese-English kanji dictionary

    old

    Unihan Unicode Han Database for CJK characters

    old, classic, ancient

    CC-CEDICT A Chinese-English dictionary

    surname Gu

    Make Me a Hanzi Open-source Chinese character data

    old, classic, ancient

    XSZD Xuéshēng Zìdiǎn (學生字典) - Student's Dictionary

    Opposite of 今 (present). Referring to times long past. | Not following popular customs. Such as in character, 古道 (old-fashioned); in writing, 高古 (antique style).
  • Onyomi

    tip
  • Kunyomi

    tip
  • Strokes

    tip
  • Radical

    tip
  • Related Keywords

Sentences including

  • I keep old books with care.

  • He disposed of his old house.

  • The price is kind of high for a used car.

  • This old table is still in use.

  • This old building has seen better days.

  • There are many old temples in kyoto.

  • Which is older , this book or that one?

  • That is an old camera.

  • When and where did you buy that old clock?

  • He should have bought a used car.

Sentences from Japanese classical masterpieces

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