孤 — “Orphan / Alone” in Japanese

Master (高手)こ

Radical ⼦ · radical 39 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Orphan / Alone” in Japanese is 孤, read ko (こ). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 孤独 (loneliness).

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What does 孤 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	孤
Meaning	Orphan / Alone
Readings	こ
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	孤独 (loneliness)

How to read 孤

孤 is read ko (こ) depending on the word.

Words with 孤

孤独

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Updated: 2026-08-28