九 — “nine” in Japanese

Grade 1く, きゅう, ここの

Radical ⼄ · radical 5 The building block this kanji is filed under

“nine” in Japanese is 九, read ku, kyuu, kokono (く, きゅう, ここの). It is a Grade 1 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 1 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 九つ (nine things).

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What does 九 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	九
Meaning	nine
Readings	く, きゅう, ここの
Grade	Grade 1 (Easiest)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	九つ (nine things)

How to read 九

九 is read ku (く) or kyuu (きゅう) or kokono (ここの) depending on the word.

Words with 九

九州きゅうしゅう
九百九十きゅうひゃくきゅうじゅう
千九百五十三年せんきゅうひゃくごじゅうさんねん
九つnine

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Kanji read the same way as 九

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28