Skip to content
Kotomora

其

that

StatusJinmeiyōFrequencyTop 2,000Strokes8

Readings

On'yomi

  • キ
  • ギ
  • ゴ

Kun'yomi

  • それ
  • その

Meaning

其 centers on pointing to something specific: that thing, that one, or that particular referent. It functions as a demonstrative pronoun or adjective.

Most common words using 其

20 of 29

Explore all words using 其 →

Study

Etymology

其 is an ancient demonstrative character. Its original form likely depicted a winnowing basket, later borrowed phonetically to mean 'that'. The modern shape is a stylized simplification of that early pictograph.

Meaning mnemonic

The top 一 and ハ look like a pointing hand, and the lower 甘-like shape is the object being pointed at. Together they say 'that one right there'.

Reading mnemonic

For キ, imagine pointing at a key object and saying 'that key': key -> キ, and the kanji means 'that'.