五
Five
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| ご | いつ.つ | 五 |
Meaning: Five
The radical and the kanji are the same, so make sure you know the radical to know the meaning of this kanji as well (five).
Know your radicals, friend-o.
Reading: ご
What do you have five of? The thing that comes to most people’s minds is fingers (or toes). With these five fingers, you can do anything. Most notably, though, you can play the game “go” – a game popular in Japan.
When you think of your five fingers, imagine yourself playing the game go. If you don’t know the game, look it up and watch some videos – you’ll be able to imagine yourself playing it enough to remember the reading if you do.
Vocabulary
Take a look at the vocab words and see how they go together. See how the on’yomi and kun’yomi are used in different situations!
a 五十（ごじゅう）＝ fifty
- Combo: 五 (five) + 十 (ten)
- Meaning: Five tens equals “Fifty.”
- Reading: Like most number-words, both use the on’yomi reading.
a 五つ（いつつ）＝ five (things)
- Meaning: See the つ? Remember the number-words pattern for counting “things” still? This is the same as that.
- Reading: The reading is the kun’yomi (hiragana is attached, which is a sign it’s the kun’yomi reading). What are we counting with “five”? Nanas are seven, Yachts are eight… so let’s make “eats” five. In one day, he “eats” (いつ) five things. Not the best way to remember, but better than nothing.
a 五（ご）＝ 5
- Meaning: This is just the number “five.” Same as the kanji.
- Reading: This reading is the on’yomi reading, even though it’s a vocab made up of a single kanji with nothing attached. Remember, numbers are the exception to this “reading rule.”