故 — “reason / old” in Japanese

Grade 5こ, ゆえ

Radical ⽁ · radical 66 The building block this kanji is filed under

“reason / old” in Japanese is 故, read ko, yue (こ, ゆえ). It is a Grade 5 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 5 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 故障 (breakdown).

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What does 故 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	故
Meaning	reason / old
Readings	こ, ゆえ
Grade	Grade 5 (Hard)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	故障 (breakdown)

How to read 故

故 is read ko (こ) or yue (ゆえ) depending on the word.

Words with 故

事故じこ
交通事故こうつうじこ
故郷
故障

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Updated: 2026-08-28