九
九 — Nine
nine
On’yomiキュウ (kyuu)
On’yomiク (ku)
Kun’yomiここの (kokono)
Kun’yomiここのつ (kokonotsu)
Stroke order (2 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 九
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 九月 | くがつ kugatsu | September; ninth month of the lunar calendar |
| 十九 | じゅうきゅう juukyuu | nineteen; 19 |
| 九 | きゅう kyuu | nine; 9 |
| 九州 | きゅうしゅう kyuushuu | Kyūshū (southernmost of the four main islands of Japan) |
| 九十 | きゅうじゅう kyuujuu | ninety; 90 |
| 九九 | くく kuku | multiplication table; times table |
Study notes
九 is a JLPT N5 kanji written with 2 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 1), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #55 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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