What is the Kanji for "Public"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "Public", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "Public" is "公".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Ooyake".

Its onyomi reading is "Kou".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The kanji "八" means "Eight" and can be read as "Yo", "Ya", and "Hachi". And The radical "厶" means "Private" .

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "公" mean in japanese?

"公" means "Public".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N4 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

公: "Public". The Japanese suffix '公 (こう)' means 'public'. This suffix is used to indicate something that is related to the public or is for public use. It can be attached to various nouns to create words that describe public entities or institutions. For example: 駅公 (えきこう) - public station, 図書公 (としょこう) - public library.

公開: "Release". The verbal noun '公開 (こうかい)' means 'release'. It refers to the act of making something publicly available or accessible, such as a movie, book, or information. This word is commonly used when announcing the release date of a new product or when discussing the publishing or broadcasting of content. For example: The movie will be released next month - (その映画は来月公開される). The company announced the public release of their new software - (その会社は新しいソフトウェアの公開を発表した).

公共: "Public". The noun '公共 (こうきょう)' refers to something that is open, available, or accessible to the general population. It is used to describe facilities, services, or resources that are owned or operated by the government or community for public use. For example: Public transportation - (公共の交通機関). The public library is closed today - (公共の図書館は今日休館です).

公園: "Park". The Japanese noun '公園 (こうえん)' means 'park'. A public park is an area of land set aside for recreation, exercise, and enjoyment of nature. Parks in Japan often contain walking paths, benches, playgrounds, and sometimes shrines or temples. For example: Let's go to the park - (公園に行きましょう). The park is very beautiful in spring - (春の公園はとてもきれいです).

公式: "Official". The adjectival noun '公式 (こうしき)' refers to something that is 'official' or has been formally recognized and sanctioned by an authority or organization. It can be used to describe documents, procedures, forms, statements, etc. that have been officially approved and adopted. For example: The official contract - (公式の契約), This is the official announcement - (これは公式の発表です).

公平: "Fairness" or "Impartiality". The adjectival noun '公平 (こうへい)' refers to the quality of being fair and impartial. It describes a state of being where there is no bias or favoritism, and everyone is treated equally. This word is often used to describe the ideal of justice, where decisions are made based on objective criteria rather than personal interests. For example: He acted with complete fairness - (彼は完全な公平さを持って行動した). The committee made a fair and impartial decision - (委員会は公平な判断をした).

公務員: "Civil servant". The Japanese noun '公務員 (こうむいん)' refers to a civil servant or government employee. Civil servants are individuals who work in the public sector, often in administrative or bureaucratic roles for the government. They are responsible for implementing government policies and providing public services. For example: She works as a civil servant in the local tax office - (彼女は地方税務庁の公務員として働いています).

公的: "Official" or "Public". The Japanese adjectival noun '公的 (こうてき)' can mean either 'official' or 'public'. When used to mean 'official', it describes something that is authorized, sanctioned, or recognized by an official body or government. For example: Official document - (公的文書). When used to mean 'public', it describes something that belongs to or is accessible to the community or the general population. For example: Public transportation - (公的交通)

公務: "Public duties". The Japanese noun '公務 (こうむ)' refers to official duties or public service work that is carried out on behalf of the government or a public organization. This word is commonly used to describe the responsibilities and tasks performed by civil servants, government officials, and other public employees in their professional capacities. For example: He has many public duties to fulfill - (彼は多くの公務を果たさなければならない). She is responsible for various public duties - (彼女は様々な公務を担当している).

公正: "Fairness". The Japanese noun '公正 (こうせい)' means 'fairness'. It refers to the quality of being just, impartial, and reasonable in the way people are treated. This word is often used to describe the fair and equitable treatment of people under the law or in a given situation. For example: We must ensure public policies uphold fairness - (私たちは公共政策が公正であることを確実にしなければなりません). The judge acted with fairness in his rulings - (裁判官は判決で公正に行動した).

公衆: "Public". The Japanese noun '公衆 (こうしゅう)' means 'public'. It refers to the general population or the masses. This word is commonly used in terms related to public services, public facilities, or anything intended for the use of the general public. For example: Public restroom - (公衆トイレ). The needs of the public - (公衆の需要).

公表: "Announcement". The Japanese noun '公表 (こうほう)' means 'announcement'. It refers to the act of making something publicly known, such as a new policy, a research finding, or a company's financial results. 公表される (こうひょうされる) means 'to be announced, to be made public'. For example: The company announced its quarterly earnings - (その会社は四半期決算を公表した)。The research findings were announced today - (その研究結果が本日公表された)。

不公平: "Unfair". The adjectival noun '不公平 (ふこうへい)' means 'unfair'. This term is used to describe a situation or treatment that is not fair, equitable, or just. It implies a lack of impartiality, bias, or discrimination. For example: The grading system is unfair - (採点システムが不公平だ). It's not fair that they received better treatment - (彼らがより良い待遇を受けたのは不公平だ).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "こ" is read as "ko". The hiragana "う" is read as "u". The hiragana "お" is read as "o". The hiragana "や" is read as "ya". And The hiragana "け" is read as "ke".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.