公 — “public” in Japanese

Grade 2こう, おおやけ

Radical ⼋ · radical 12 The building block this kanji is filed under

“public” in Japanese is 公, read kou, ooyake (こう, おおやけ). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 公園 (park).

Try it now

What does 公 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	公
Meaning	public
Readings	こう, おおやけ
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	公園 (park)

How to read 公

公 is read kou (こう) or ooyake (おおやけ) depending on the word.

Words with 公

公園こうえん
公共こうきょう
公共料金こうきょうりょうきん
公務員

Learn 公 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 公

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

Read this character in a real sentence

Updated: 2026-08-28