金
金 means ‘gold,’ ‘metal,’ or ‘money.’ It also represents Friday (金曜日). The kanji is said to depict metal ore in the ground beneath a roof, suggesting the smelting of precious metal.
Reading
On’yomi:
キン (KIN)、
コン (KON)
Kun’yomi:
かね (kane)、
かな- (kana-)
Basic Information
| Kanji | 金 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | gold, money, metal |
| Stroke Count | 8 |
| JLPT Level | N5 |
How to Understand This Kanji
金 is versatile: it means gold as a material (金メダル), money in general (お金), and Friday (金曜日). The on’yomi キン is used in formal compounds, while かね is casual and everyday. コン appears in a few set phrases.
Common Words
-
お金
（おかね）
— money -
金曜日
（きんようび）
— Friday -
料金
（りょうきん）
— fee, charge, fare -
現金
（げんきん）
— cash -
金メダル
（きんメダル）
— gold medal -
金色
（きんいろ）
— gold color, golden
Example Sentences
-
財布にお金がありません。
さいふにおかねがありません。
I don’t have money in my wallet.
-
金曜日に友達と映画を見ます。
きんようびにともだちとえいがをみます。
I will watch a movie with my friend on Friday.
-
料金はいくらですか？
りょうきんはいくらですか？
How much is the fee?
When Learners Usually See This Kanji
お金 (money) is one of the most immediately useful words in Japanese. 金 is also one of the five elements (五行), making it part of the system for remembering the days of the week: 月火水木金土日.
Summary
金 means ‘gold’ and ‘money’ and is one of the most frequently used kanji in everyday life, also representing Friday.
| Kanji | 金 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | gold, money, metal |
| On’yomi | キン、コン (KIN, KON) |
| Kun’yomi | かね、かな- (kane, kana-) |
| Strokes | 8 |
| JLPT | N5 |