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道Nihongo Path
呉

呉·give, Wu (ancient China), Kure

On-yomi
ゴ
Kun-yomi
く.れるくれ

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
呉服ごふくkimono fabric, draperies
呉服店ごふくてんkimono fabric shop
呉音ごおんWu reading (an older layer of on readings)
呉越同舟ごえつどうしゅうbitter enemies in the same boat

Example sentences

  1. 母は呉服店で着物を注文した。

    はははごふくてんできものをちゅうもんした。

    My mother ordered a kimono at the fabric shop.

  2. この字の呉音はニチ、漢音はジツです。

    このじのごおんはにち、かんおんはじつです。

    The Wu reading of this character is nichi and the Han reading is jitsu.

  3. 二人は呉越同舟で同じ会議に出た。

    ふたりはごえつどうしゅうでおなじかいぎにでた。

    The two rivals sat through the same meeting like enemies in one boat.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • The everyday くれる (to give me) is written in kana — 呉れる looks archaic.
  • 呉服 is ごふく, and despite the name it means cloth for kimono, not clothing itself.

Memory aid

Picture it

A mouth 口 tilted over a figure: the old state of Wu, whose name Japan borrowed for silk and for a layer of readings.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 呉 mean?