How to say 'Old' in Japanese | 古い

Wondering how to say 'Old' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Old is 'Furui', written as 古い in Japanese.'Old' in hiragana is ふるい.

word

古い

Meaning

Old

Reading

ふるい

furui

Kanji

古Old

Explanation

The Japanese adjective '古い (ふるい)' means 'old'. It is used to describe something that has existed for a long time or is not new. This can refer to objects, traditions, or even ideas. For example: This book is old「この本は古い」(このほんはふるい). That temple is old「あの寺は古い」(あのてらはふるい). The word can also imply something is outdated or no longer in fashion, as in '古い考え (ふるいかんがえ) (old-fashioned idea)'. It is important to note that '古い' is used for inanimate objects or abstract concepts, while '年老いた (としおいた)' is used for living beings to describe old age.

Part Of Speech

adjective

Kanji JLPT

Kanji Grade

Frequency

887

Composition

kanji-hiragana

Handwriting

This word is an i-adjective. To learn how it transforms in different tenses and forms, explore all its conjugations.

Kanji in the Word 古い

This word contains 1 kanji character:

kanji

古

Meaning

Old

Hiragana in the Word 古い

This word contains 1 Hiragana character :

hiragana

い

Reading

Words Related to 古い Through the Kanji 古

These 9 Words contain the Kanji 古 as well.

word

古代

Meaning

Ancient, Antiquity

word

古

Meaning

Old

word

古典

Meaning

Classic

word

古墳

Meaning

Tumulus

word

稽古

Meaning

Practice

word

古く

Meaning

Old

word

中古

Meaning

Used, Secondhand

word

古本

Meaning

Used book

word

古里

Meaning

Hometown

Learn the Word 古い

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What does 'Furui' (古い) mean?

'Furui' means 'Old' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.