公
公 — Public
public, prince, official, governmental
On’yomiコウ (kou)
On’yomiク (ku)
Kun’yomiおおやけ (ooyake)
Stroke order (4 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 公
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 公園 | こうえん kouen | (public) park |
| 公演 | こうえん kouen | public performance; exhibition in a foreign country |
| 公開 | こうかい koukai | opening to the public; making available to the public; exhibiting |
| 公共 | こうきょう koukyou | public (facilities, service, etc.); communal |
| 公式 | こうしき koushiki | official; formal; formula (e.g. mathematical) |
| 公明党 | こうめいとう koumeitou | Komeito (Japanese political party) |
Study notes
公 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 4 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #118 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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