JAPANAN 日本語
Native Speaker Kanji Series
8 strokes
金 (gold)
Core Meaning
gold · money · metal
かね（名）
音読み On-yomi
キン・コン
- 金曜日きんようびFriday
- 金色きんいろgolden colour
- 料金りょうきんfee / charge
訓読み Kun-yomi
かね
- お金おかねmoney
- 金持ちかねもちwealthy person
- 金回りかねまわりfinancial situation
Etymology — pictographic origin
origin
Memory Hook
Picture gold nuggets (the two dots) inside the earth (土-like bottom). キン — sounds like "kin" (family, because gold runs in families!). かね = ka-ne, the clink of coins.
Writing Practice — tap to watch, trace, or quiz yourself
Touch Practice
Tap Watch to see the stroke order, or Practice to write 金 from memory.
Exercises
✦ Reading — write how to read the highlighted kanji
1
金ようびがすきですか。
Do you like Friday?
2
お金がありません。
I don't have any money.
✦ Writing — write the correct kanji in the blank
3
もちになりたいです。
I want to become rich.
4
タクシーのりょうはたかいです。
The taxi fee is expensive.
文化ノート
Cultural Note
金 and the gold standard
金 marks the highest level in Japan: 金メダル (gold medal), 金賞 (gold prize), 金曜日 (Friday, named after Venus). Even 金利 (interest rate) literally means "gold profit."
きんメダル · gold medal
きんしょう · gold prize
きんり · interest
Native Speaker's NoteWhat your textbook won't tell you
①
キン vs コン vs かね — キン is the usual on-yomi (金曜日, 金属). コン is rare (金剛・こんごう, diamond-hard). かね is the kun-yomi for money or metal in everyday speech.✓ お金(かね) ✓ 金曜日(きんようび)
②
⚠ 金 vs 全 — 全 (ぜん, all/complete) looks similar — it has 人 on top instead of the crown. Don't let the bottom fool you; the top gives away the meaning.金（かね）≠ 全（ぜん）
③
金 and the Japanese obsession with quality — 金 implies the highest quality in Japanese culture. 金メダル (gold medal), 金賞 (gold prize), and even 金利 (interest rate) all carry the sense of the ultimate standard.きんメダル · きんしょう · きんり
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N5 Kanji · 金 · Sheet 9 of 11