# こ

| こ | U+3053, &#12371; HIRAGANA LETTER KO |
| ← げ [U+3052] | Hiragana | ご → [U+3054] |

## Japanese
### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ko̞]

### Etymology 1

Derived in the Heian period from writing the man'yōgana kanji 己 in the cursive sōsho style.

#### Syllable

こ • (ko)
* The hiragana syllable こ (ko). Its equivalent in katakana is コ (ko). It is the tenth syllable in the gojūon order; its position is か行お段 (ka-gyō o-dan, “row ka, section o”).

##### Derived terms

* ご (go)

##### See also

* (Hiragana) 平仮名; あぁ, いぃ, うぅゔ, えぇ, おぉ, かゕが, きぎ, くぐ, けゖげ, こ𛄲 (𛄲)ご, さざ, しじ, すず, せぜ, そぞ, ただ, ちぢ, つっづ, てで, とど, な, に, ぬ, ね, の, はばぱ, ひびぴ, ふぶぷ, へべぺ, ほぼぽ, ま, み, む, め, も, やゃ, 𛀆, ゆゅ, 𛀁, よょ, らら゚, りり゚, るる゚, れれ゚, ろろ゚, わゎわ゙, ゐ𛅐 (𛅐)ゐ゙, 𛄟 (𛄟), ゑ𛅑 (𛅑)ゑ゙, を𛅒 (𛅒)を゙, ん, ー, ゝ, ゞ, ゟ

### Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of こ – see the following entries. :
| 【戸】2 | [noun] houses; apartments [noun] door [noun] The smallest administrative division under the ritsuryō system of governance. [counter] house; apartment [counter] household; family |
| 【故】5 | [prefix] the deceased, late [affix] old; past; former |
| 【個】5 | [counter] item, article, thing Alternative spellings 㐰, 箇 |
| 【呼】6 | [affix] to breathe out, to exhale, to sigh [affix] to shout, to yell [affix] to call (someone), to address |
| 【孤】S | [noun] an orphan [noun] solitude [adjective] solitary |
| 【弧】S | [noun] arc |
| 【顧】S | [counter] looks back, double-takes (often as 一(いっ)顧(こ) (ikko)) [counter] (figurative, chiefly in the negative) care, concern; amount one cares Alternative spelling コ |
| 【袴】J | [noun] (rare) hakama: a type of traditional Japanese trousers [noun] (rare) momohiki: traditional Japanese closefitting workman's trousers [noun] (historical, military): prior to World War II, the general term for trousers in the Imperial Japanese Army |
| 【壺】H | [noun] hu (ancient Chinese vessel shaped like a vase, usually used to store alcohol) Alternative spelling 壷 |
(This term, こ (ko), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as こ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as こ.) :
(The following entries are uncreated: 古, 庫, 湖, 固, 己, 股, 虎, 枯, 虚, 雇, 誇, 鼓, 錮, 乎, 胡, 糊, 姑, 沽, 狐, 扈, 蠱.)

### Etymology 3

Native.
For pronunciation and definitions of こ – see the following entries. :
| 【子】1 | [noun] a child [noun] (figuratively) a girl, especially a dear or desired one (compare use of English baby, babe) [noun] (endearing) creature [noun] a smaller or younger version of a bigger object [noun] (hanafuda, card games, by extension, board games, gambling) person who is dealt cards [prefix] an object which has a subservient or derivative role relative to another object [suffix] suffix used in female given names, such as 智子 (​Tomoko), 英子 (​Eiko), 秀子 (​Hideko), 美奈子 (​Minako), 有希子 (​Yukiko) [suffix] (rare) suffix used in male given names [suffix] an object having a particular state or property (sometimes diminutive) [suffix] roe (only when preceded by a fish name, or fish-related prefix) [proper noun] a surname Alternative spellings 児, 娘 |
| 【小】1 | [prefix] less in size or quantity, small, little, short [prefix] less in intensity, small, light, slight [prefix] of secondary importance, secondary, sub- [prefix] infant |
| 【粉】5 | [noun] [from 759] powder [noun] [from 759] flour |
| 【籠】S | [noun] a basket, especially one made of bamboo [noun] Short for 伏籠 (fusego): a clothes airer, or chicken coop Alternative spelling 篭 |
| 【木】1 | [noun] Combining form of 木 (き, ki): tree; wood Alternative spelling 樹 |
| 【濃】S | [prefix] dark color |
| 【海鼠】 | [noun] (obsolete) sea cucumber |
| 【蚕】6 | [noun] (obsolete) silkworm |
| 【処】6 | [suffix] (not productive) place |
(This term, こ (ko), is the hiragana spelling of the above terms.) For a list of all kanji read as こ, see Category:Japanese kanji read as こ.) :

### Etymology 4
#### Pronoun

こ • (ko)
* 此: (derogatory) you
* 是: (humble) you

## Old Japanese
### Etymology 1

From Proto-Japonic *kə.

#### Pronoun

こ (ko₂)
* this

##### Derived terms

* ここ (ko₂ko₂)
* この (ko₂no₂)
* これ (ko₂re)

### Etymology 2

From Proto-Japonic *kə.

#### Noun

こ (ko₂)
* (in compounds only) place

##### Derived terms

* ここ (ko₂ko₂)
* そこ (so₂ko₂)

### Etymology 3

The reading of various spellings.

#### Noun

こ (ko₁)
* 籠: basket
* 子: child; a diminutive noun
* 蚕: silkworm
* 粉: flour

#### Prefix

こ (ko₁-)
* 濃: deep
* 小: small

### Etymology 4

The reading of various spellings.

#### Noun

こ (ko₂)
* 木: tree, wood