古

Old

Meaning: Old

The old radical and the old kanji are one and the same, which means you know them both.

Know your radicals, and you will know your kanji.

Reading: こ

Think of someone really really old… Then, think of that person as こういち. A super old こういち working on the kanji forever and ever, until he’s a really, really old man.

The older you make him in your head, and the more you imagine a really really old man is writing this content, the more likely you are to remember the reading こ.

Vocabulary

Learn the meanings of these words before moving on (and the readings too, if you can).

a 古い（ふるい）＝　Old

• Meaning: Same as the kanji, but adjective form. It’s the word for “old,” though this isn’t used on people, just things.
• Reading: The reading is the kun’yomi reading (as you’d expect, since it has an い sticking out there). You could think about how you have to be a fool (ふ) to keep so much old junk around, getting you to ふるい.

a 中古（ちゅうこ）＝　Used, Second Hand

• Combo: 中 (Middle) + 古 (Old)
• Meaning: Something in the middle of its age is probably used or second hand.
• Reading: The reading is the on’yomi readings, put together.

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