碁ご

ご

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

1

Go; the board game Go

Refers specifically to the traditional East Asian strategy board game. Often called 囲碁 (いご) in full, but 碁 alone is common in compounds and casual contexts.

Usage patterns

碁ごを習ならうto learn (how to play) Go
祖そ父ふに碁ごを習ならっている。
I'm learning Go from my grandfather.
碁ごが強つよいto be skilled at Go
彼かれは碁ごがとても強つよい。
He's very good at Go.
〈人ひと〉と碁ごの相あい手てをするto play a game of Go with someone
父ちちの碁ごの相あい手てをしてあげた。
I played a game of Go with my father to keep him company.

Expressions

碁ごを打うつplay go
碁ご打うち鳥とり飼かい馬ば鹿かの中うちgo players and bird keepers are idiots
碁ごに凝こると親おやの死しに目めに逢あわぬif you get too absorbed in go, you'll miss your parent's deathbed

Kanji

碁Go
棊Japanese chess
棋chess piece, Japanese chess, shogi

Related words

囲い碁ごN1
囲碁 is the full, formal name for the game, while 碁 is the shorter form often used in casual speech and compounds.

Don't confuse with

将しょう棋ぎN2
将棋 is Japanese chess, a completely different board game from 碁, though the two are often mentioned together as classic strategy games.

Counted with

局きょくN2
A single game of 碁 is counted with 局, as in 一局打つ (to play one game of Go).

Word family· 26

囲い碁ごN1
Go; the board game Go
碁ご盤ばんN1
Go board
碁ご石いし
go stone; go piece

Written forms

碁ごUsage98%
Standard kanji for the board game Go. High priority.
棊ごUsage2%
Archaic variant of 碁. Not used in modern Japanese.
棋ご
Alternate kanji, less common than 碁. May appear in compounds or older texts.

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 碁 (gi), meaning the board game Go. The reading ご reflects the later borrowing from Chinese.

持じ碁ご

jigo; tied game of Go; draw in Go

早はや碁ご

fast go; speed go

Show 8 more

本ほん碁ご
go (board game)
段だん碁ご
dan-ranked go player
相あい碁ご
evenly matched Go game
碁ご器き
go bowl; goke
碁ご客かく
go player
碁ご席せき
go club; go gathering place
碁ご敵がたき
rival in go; go opponent
碁ご笥け
go-stone bowl; goke

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