How to say 'Old' in Japanese | 古

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

The Japanese word for Old is 'Ko', written as 古 in Japanese.'Old' in hiragana is こ.

word

古

Meaning

Old

Reading

こ

ko

Kanji

古Old

Explanation

The Japanese prefix '古 (こ)' means 'old' and is used to indicate something ancient, traditional, or from the past. It often carries a sense of historical significance or antiquity. This prefix is commonly used in compound words to describe things like old buildings, traditions, or artifacts. For example: ancient capital「古都」(こと). old book「古本」(ふるほん). Note that while '古' can also be read as 'ふる' in some contexts, as a prefix it is typically read as 'こ'. The reading and meaning depend on the compound word it is part of.

Part Of Speech

prefix

Kanji JLPT

N4

Kanji Grade

2

Frequency

3925

Composition

kanji

Handwriting