こう

See also: ごう

Japanese

Etymology 1

Alternative spelling
斯う

/kaku/ → /kau/ → /kɔː/ → /koː/

Shift from 斯(か)く (kaku).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) こー [kòó] (Heiban – [0])
• (Tokyo) こ​ー [kóꜜò] (Atamadaka – [1])
• IPA^(key): [ko̞ː]

Adverb

こう • (kō) ^{←かう (kau)?}

1. like this, in this way, so, thus

   私(わたし)はこうだと思(おも)う。

   Watashi wa kō da to omou.

   I think it's so.

   こうやればよいのだ。

   Kō yareba yoi no da.

   It's okay to do it like this.

Usage notes

This term is often spelled in hiragana.

Derived terms

• こういう (kōiu)
• こうして (kōshite)
• こうした (kōshita)
• ああ言(い)えばこう言(い)う (ā ieba kō iu)

See also

Japanese demonstratives

	ko- “this” (close to speaker)	so- “that” (close to listener)	a- “that over there” (far from both)	do- “which” (indeterminate, question)
Object	これ (kore)	それ (sore)	あれ (are)	どれ (dore)
	これら (korera)	それら (sorera)	あれら (arera)	—
Determiner	この (kono)	その (sono)	あの (ano)	どの (dono)
	これらの (korera no)	それらの (sorera no)	あれらの (arera no)	—
Kind	こんな (konna)	そんな (sonna)	あんな (anna)	どんな (donna)
	こういう (kō iu)	そういう (sō iu)	ああいう (ā iu)	どういう (dō iu)
Place	ここ (koko)	そこ (soko)	あそこ (asoko)*	どこ (doko)
	こっから (kokkara)	そっから (sokkara)	—	どっから (dokkara)
Direction / Human	こちら (kochira)	そちら (sochira)	あちら (achira)	どちら (dochira)
	こなた (konata)	そなた (sonata)	あなた (anata)	どなた (donata)
Direction	こっち (kotchi)	そっち (sotchi)	あっち (atchi)	どっち (dotchi)
Human	こいつ (koitsu)	そいつ (soitsu)	あいつ (aitsu)	どいつ (doitsu)
Manner	こう (kō)	そう (sō)	ああ (ā)**	どう (dō)
Degree	これくらい (kore kurai)	それくらい (sore kurai)	あれくらい (are kurai)	どれくらい (dore kurai)
	これだけ (kore dake)	それだけ (sore dake)	あれだけ (are dake)	どれだけ (dore dake)
	これほど (kore hodo)	それほど (sore hodo)	あれほど (are hodo)	どれほど (dore hodo)
* irregular ** regular (long vowel)

The kanji 此(こ) (ko), 其(そ) (so), 彼(あ) (a), and 何(ど) (do) can be used for determiners, but they are almost always spelled in hiragana.

Classical Japanese pronouns and demonstratives

	a-/wa- “I, we” (first person)	na-/-ma- “you, ye, thou” (second person)	k- “this” (close to speaker)	s- “that” (close to listener)	a-/ka- “that over there” (far from both)	i-/ta-/nani- “who, what, where, how, when” (interrogative)	ono- “oneself” (reflexive)
Person	あ (a) あれ (are) わ (wa) われ (ware) まろ (maro)	な (na) なれ (nare) なんぢ (nanji) まし (mashi) いまし (imashi) みまし (mimashi) きみ (kimi)	こ (ko) これ (kore)	そ (so) それ (sore)	あ (a) あれ (are) か (ka) かれ (kare)	た (ta) たれ (tare) なにがし (nanigashi)	おの (ono) おのれ (onore)
Thing			こ (ko) これ (kore)	そ (so) それ (sore)	あ (a) あれ (are) か (ka) かれ (kare)	いづれ (izure) なに (nani)
Location			ここ (koko)	そこ (soko)	あしこ (ashiko) かしこ (kashiko)	いづく (izuku) いづこ (izuko) いどこ (idoko) どこ (doko)
Direction			こち (kochi) こなた (konata)	そち (sochi) そなた (sonata)	あち (achi) あなた (anata) かなた (kanata)	いづち (izuchi) いづら (izura) いづかた (izukata)
Manner			か (ka) かく (kaku) かくて (kakute) かう (kō)	さ (sa) さて (sate) しか (shika)		いか (ika)
Time						いつ (itsu)

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of こう – see the following entries.

【口】1 [counter] used to count people [counter] used to count bladed weapons or tools

【公】2 [noun] (honorific) a European sovereign prince [noun] (honorific) a duke; in China and Vietnam, an alternative to 王 (ō, “prince”), used by certain dynasties for princes [noun] (familiar) used as suffix to denote familiarity with or disdain for someone or an animal

【光】2 [affix] light, gleam, shine [affix] gleaming, shining [affix] scenery [affix] glory, honor/honour, pride [affix] enlightening [affix] exhaust, run out [proper noun] a male or female given name

【行】2 [noun] going; travelling (UK), traveling (US) [noun] type of classical Chinese verse (usually an epic) [noun] (archaic) merchant's association; guild [proper noun] a unisex given name

【後】2 [prefix] prefixing element in kanji compounds, adding a meaning of later, after, following, rearward

【高】2 [prefix] high, higher

【黄】2 [affix] yellow

【幸】3 [noun] good luck, good fortune; happiness [noun] an appearance by the emperor or a retired emperor

【功】4 [noun] a success, a great achievement

【候】4 [noun] (literary) the season, the weather of the current season

【効】5 [noun] efficacy, benefit, effect

【講】5 [suffix] reading or lecture [suffix] reading of sacred scriptures by Buddhist monks [suffix] gathering of monks and laity for Buddhist rites [suffix] lay association of Buddhist or Shinto believers [suffix] mutual financial assistance association

【后】6 [affix] monarch, ruler, sovereign [affix] empress, queen, or other female monarch

【孝】6 [noun] filial piety

【皇】6 [affix] Creator [affix] monarch, ruler, sovereign [affix] emperor, mikado, tenno [affix] Japan, Japanese [proper noun] a unisex given name

【紅】6 [noun] the color crimson, a vivid red edging towards pink [affix] crimson [affix] safflower [affix] female [affix] Substitute character for 工: work done by women [proper noun] a female given name

【巧】S [proper noun] a male given name

【甲】S [noun] carapace, shell [noun] something A [noun] first in rank [noun] instep or the back of the hand [noun] the first party [proper noun] the first of the ten heavenly stems

【江】S [noun] (archaic) large river [proper noun] short for 長江 (Chōkō): the Yangtze River [proper noun] old name for 琵琶湖 (Biwa-ko): Lake Biwa [proper noun] a surname [proper noun] a unisex given name

【坑】S [noun] pit, usually of a mine

【更】S [noun] one of the five two-hour periods into which the night was divided in ancient China

【虹】S [affix] rainbow [affix] rainbowlike

【香】4 [noun] incense

【貢】S [noun] tribute [noun] support, a contribution (such as a donation of money) [proper noun] a male given name

【喉】S [counter] counter for fish

【項】S [noun] section [noun] (mathematics) term [noun] (linguistics) argument

【溝】S [noun] ditch, channel [noun] groove, furrow [number] [from 17th c.] a hundred nonillion, equivalent to 1032

【綱】S [noun] (taxonomy) class

【稿】S [verb] to write (a manuscript/rough copy)

【劫】J [noun] (Buddhism) kalpa: a unit of time in Buddhist cosmology [noun] (go) a position in which two alternating stones can be captured and recaptured indefinitely

【庚】J [proper noun] the seventh of the ten heavenly stems

(This term, こう, is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as こう, see Category:Japanese kanji read as こう.)

(The following entries are uncreated: 校, 工, 広, 交, 考, 向, 港, 好, 航, 康, 厚, 格, 耕, 鉱, 構, 興, 降, 鋼, 勾, 孔, 仰, 抗, 攻, 拘, 肯, 侯, 恒, 洪, 荒, 郊, 耗, 控, 梗, 慌, 硬, 絞, 酵, 衡, 購, 弘, 宏, 昂, 肴, 巷, 恰, 倖, 浩, 皓, 腔, 膏, 鴻, 亢, 叩, 肛, 肓, 咬, 哄, 垢, 恍, 狡, 哮, 逅, 寇, 淆, 皎, 閘, 睾, 膠, 薨, 曠.)

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of こう – see the following entry.

【請う】 [verb] to ask, beg, request, entreat, appeal, solicit Alternative spelling 乞う

(This term, こう, is the hiragana spelling of the above term.) For a list of all kanji read as こう, see Category:Japanese kanji read as こう.)

Etymology 4

For pronunciation and definitions of こう – see the following entry.

【恋う】 [verb] (literary) to miss; to love; to have a deep affection for

(This term, こう, is the hiragana spelling of the above term.) For a list of all kanji read as こう, see Category:Japanese kanji read as こう.)