Kanji N3

公: public, prince, official

公 is a JLPT N3 kanji meaning public, prince, official, written with 4 strokes. It is read コウ, ク (on) and おおやけ (kun). Children in Japan learn it in grade 2. You will see it in 公園 (こうえん, park) and 公務員 (こうむいん, public employee).

公

Meanings

  • public
  • prince
  • official
  • governmental
Strokes4
JLPT levelN3
School gradeGrade 2
Frequency#118 of 2,500

On reading · Kun reading

On reading
  • コウ
  • ク

On'yomi: from Chinese, written in katakana. Used in compound words.

Kun reading
  • おおやけ

Kun'yomi: native Japanese, in hiragana. The faint part is the okurigana, written in kana after the kanji.

Watch the stroke order

Every stroke in order, the live one in vermilion. Replay as often as you like.

1234

Now draw it

Trace each stroke in order. Wrong direction or wrong order gets flagged right away.

12340 / 4

Your turn: draw stroke 1 of 4. Start at the dot.

Common words with 公

The most useful words written with it, easiest first. Every other kanji in them opens its own page.

  • 公園こうえん

    (public) park

    JLPT N5
  • 公務員こうむいん

    public employee; government employee

    JLPT N4
  • 公平こうへい

    fair; impartial; just; objective; disinterested

    JLPT N3
  • 公演こうえん

    public performance

    JLPT N1
  • 公開こうかい

    opening to the public

    JLPT N1
  • 公共こうきょう

    public (facilities, service, etc.); communal

    JLPT N2
  • 公式こうしき

    official; formal

    JLPT N2
  • 公害こうがい

    pollution; public nuisance; contamination

    JLPT N2

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Stroke order from KanjiVG © Ulrich Apel, CC BY-SA 3.0. Readings, meanings and words from KANJIDIC2 and JMdict, names from JMnedict, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA 4.0, and Wikidata, CC0. JLPT lists after Jonathan Waller (tanos.co.uk), CC BY.