古 — “old / ancient” in Japanese

Grade 2こ, ふる

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“old / ancient” in Japanese is 古, read ko, furu (こ, ふる). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 古い (old).

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What does 古 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	古
Meaning	old / ancient
Readings	こ, ふる
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	古い (old)

How to read 古

古 is read ko (こ) or furu (ふる) depending on the word.

Words with 古

古いold / ancient
古墳
稽古

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Kanji read the same way as 古

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Updated: 2026-08-28