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Kotomora

孔

cavity, hole, slit, very, great, exceedingly

JLPTN1StatusJōyō · secondary schoolFrequencyTop 5,000Strokes4

Readings

On'yomi

  • コウ
  • ク

Kun'yomi

  • あな

Nanori

  • のり

Meaning

孔 centers on an opening or empty space: a cavity, hole, or slit. The senses "very," "great," and "exceedingly" are less common and likely arise from the idea of a hole being deep or extreme.

Most common words using 孔

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Etymology

孔 combines 子 (child) with 乚, which may represent a hole or opening. The exact historical development is uncertain, but the character likely depicts a child emerging from or passing through an opening.

Meaning mnemonic

A child 子 beside a curved hook 乚 that looks like a hole: imagine a child peeking through a cavity or slit.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, picture a child shouting "coo!" through a hole: coo -> コウ, and the sound echoes in the cavity.