琴 — “Harp / Koto” in Japanese

Master (高手)きん, ごん, こと

Radical ⽟ · radical 96 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Harp / Koto” in Japanese is 琴, read kin, gon, koto (きん, ごん, こと). 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 琴 (koto harp).

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What does 琴 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	琴
Meaning	Harp / Koto
Readings	きん, ごん, こと
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	琴 (koto harp)

How to read 琴

琴 is read kin (きん) or gon (ごん) or koto (こと) depending on the word.

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Kanji read the same way as 琴

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

Updated: 2026-08-28