JLPT N4 kanji. Readings, meaning, and how the character is built.
古 means old. It is a JLPT N4 kanji written in 5 strokes, read ふるい or ふる or こ. It appears in 古い (old (in reference to objects / not people) / aged) and 稽古 (practice / training / study).
古 is written in 5 strokes, in the order numbered below. Order matters: it is what makes handwriting legible, and it is how the character is looked up in a paper dictionary.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 古い | ふるい | old (in reference to objects / not people) / aged |
| 稽古 | けいこ | practice / training / study |
| 古典 | こてん | classics / classic |
古 tends to carry the sound こ. They carry it; they do not all mean the same thing.
| Reading | Meaning | |
|---|---|---|
| 古 | こ | old |
| 故 | こ | happenstance, especially |
| 固 | こ | harden, set |
| 居 | こ | reside, to be |
| 枯 | こ | wither, die |
| 胡 | こ | barbarian, foreign |
| 姑 | こ | mother-in-law |
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