巨
Giant
| on’yomi | kun’yomi | Radicals |
|---|---|---|
| きょ | n/a | 巨 |
Meaning: Giant
The giant radical and the giant kanji are exactly the same! That’s one giant leap for kanji learning mankind!
Your ability to learn this kanji won’t be that giant unless you learn the radical, first, though.
Reading: きょ
To remember the reading きょ we use the Japanese word 今日 (きょう, today).
You’re sitting there, talking with a giant. He keeps yelling “今日今日今日!” (きょう), but you don’t understand him. You think he’s speaking English, so you’re trying to figure out what this “kyo kyo kyo” thing is. Then, it suddenly hits you. Oh! This is Japanese! He’s saying “today” in response to the question you’re asking him “when is our anniversary?” You forgot it was 今日? What a terrible partner.
Vocabulary
This kanji doesn’t have a kun’yomi, crazily enough, meaning that all words using this kanji are combo-kanji (jukugo). Try to learn the following words and their readings before moving on. Shouldn’t be too hard – the attached kanji are pretty low level.
a 巨大（きょだい）＝ Huge
- Combo: 巨 (Giant) + 大 (Large)
- Meaning: When something is both giant AND large, it is huge.
- Reading: The on’yomi readings, combined!
a 巨人（きょじん）＝ Giant
- Combo: 巨 (giant) + 人 (person)
- Meaning: A giant person is a “Giant.”
- Reading: The reading is just the on’yomi readings, put together.