← Back

古

Old
Stroke count: 5

Readings

On readingコ
Kun readingふる.い、ふる.す
JLPT level: N4JōyōGrade 2Level 3

Meanings

  1. oldRtK
  1. bygone days
  2. former times

Popular Usage

古い稽古古典

Radicals and components

Radical口mouth囗variant
Components
How it's built
古
  • →
  • →

Mnemonic (RtK)

ⓘ

tombstone · gravestone · church · ten (十) · needle (丨) · mouth (口)

From "Remembering the Kanji" by James Heisig · Frame 16

Compound words

古いふるい
old; aged; ancient; antiquated; antique
稽古けいこ
practice; practising; training; study
古典こてん
classic (work, esp. book); the classics
古くふるく
anciently; formerly; old times; a long time ago
中古車ちゅうこしゃ
used car; secondhand car
古語こご
archaic word; obsolete word; archaism; old saying; old adage
古今ここん
ancient and modern times; all ages; past and present
古参こさん
senior; veteran; old-timer
古書こしょ
old book; rare book; classic; secondhand book; used book
古城こじょう
old castle; old fortress
古巣ふるす
old haunts; former homes
古代こだい
ancient times; distant past; antiquity
古着ふるぎ
old clothes; secondhand clothing
古都こと
ancient city; former capital
古風こふう
old-fashioned; archaic; antique; antiquated
古墳こふん
ancient burial mound; barrow; tumulus
古来こらい
from ancient times; from old times; from time immemorial
最古さいこ
the oldest; the earliest
太古たいこ
ancient times; prehistoric times
中古ちゅうこ
used; second-hand; old; Middle Ages (in Japan esp. Heian period)
古文こぶん
ancient writing (Edo-period or older); classical literature; ancient Chinese character (pre-Qin period); Chinese character script used before the Qin period
古本ふるほん
secondhand book
古紙こし
used paper; paper for recycling
古臭いふるくさい
stale; old fashioned; hackneyed; trite; antiquated

Kun Reading Examples

森のはずれに古小屋が立っているのが見えた。ふる
We saw an old hut standing at the margin of the forest.tatoeba
湖畔の古い教会はとても美しい。ふるい
The old church by the lake is very beautiful.tatoeba
彼女は古新聞紙を山積みにして置いておいた。ふる
She left the old newspapers lying in a heap.tatoeba

Additional Examples

彼は物置の中で偶然いくつかの古文書を見つけた。
He came across some old documents in the closet.tatoeba
彼は彼女の古い電話番号を線を引いて抹消した。
He crossed off her old telephone number.tatoeba
彼は珍しい古書を見つけた。
He hit on a rare old book.tatoeba
彼は中古車を買ったばかりです。
He has just bought a used car.tatoeba
インド古典学専修
Department of Indological Studieswiki
日本古典集成　新潮社
Nihon koten shusei, Shinchosha.wiki

Stroke Order

5 strokes

Old. 十 (ten) + 口 (mouth) — something passed through ten mouths, across generations.

Practice Writing

Practice Writing 古

Draw with a guide, then from memory — checked at every step