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故

Circumstance
Stroke count: 9

Readings

On readingコ
Kun readingゆえ、こと.さら
JōyōGrade 5Level 26

Verbs with «故»

故障する
  1. antiquity
  2. ancient times
  3. bygone days
  4. former times

Popular Usage

故障事故故郷

Radicals and components

Radical攴rap
Components
How it's built
故
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Mnemonic (RtK)

ⓘ

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

From "Remembering the Kanji" by James Heisig · Frame 355

Compound words

故障こしょう
fault; trouble; breakdown; failure; being out of order
事故じこ
accident; incident; trouble; circumstances; reasons
故郷ふるさと
hometown; birthplace; native place; one's old home; ruins
何故ならなぜなら
because; the reason is; if you want to know why
故にゆえに
therefore; consequently
故意こい
intent; intention; bad faith; mens rea (guilty mind)
故国ここく
one's native land
故事こじ
historical event; ancient event; tradition; folklore; legend
故人こじん
the deceased; the departed; old friend; longtime acquaintance
何故なぜ
why; how; for what reason
何故かなぜか
somehow; for some reason; without knowing why
交通事故こうつうじこ
traffic accident
何故ならばなぜならば
because; for; the reason why is ...
縁故えんこ
relation
故買こばい
buying stolen goods
故老ころう
old person (knowledgeable about events of the distant past)
故址こし
historic ruins
故廬鯛コロダイ
painted sweetlips (Diagramma pictum)
事故歴じこれき
history of (automobile) accidents
それ故にそれゆえに
and so
坑内事故こうないじこ
mine accident
其れ故にそれゆえに
and so
墜落事故ついらくじこ
plane crash
故障するこしょうする
to break down

On Reading Examples

その事故がどのように起きたのか、誰も正確に知らなかった。じこ
No one knew for certain how the accident happened.tatoeba
久しぶりに故郷に帰ると、懐かしい気持ちが込み上がる。こきょう
Returning to your hometown after a long time fills you with nostalgia.tatoeba
原子力事故に対して最大限の努力を尽くしております。じこ
We are making all efforts possible to deal with the nuclear crisis.tatoeba

Kun Reading Examples

彼は再び故郷には帰らぬ運命だった。ふるさと
He was never to return to his hometown.tatoeba
彼は故郷を去って２度と戻らなかった。ふるさと
He left home never to return.tatoeba

Additional Examples

彼は不注意な運転で事故を起こした。
He drove carelessly and had an accident.tatoeba
彼は病気になった。それ故外国行きをあきらめた。
He fell ill, and therefore he gave up going abroad.tatoeba
彼は飛行機墜落事故にあったが死ななかった。
He survived the plane crash.tatoeba
彼は飛行機事故で死んだ。
He was killed in an airplane accident.tatoeba

Stroke Order

9 strokes

Cause; deceased. 古 (old) + 攵 (action) — something done long ago that became a cause. 事故 — accident.

Practice Writing

Practice Writing 故

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