Kanji 五 - five
Kanji 五 means five. Onyomi readings are ゴ (go) . Kunyomi readings are いつ (itsu).
Stroke order animation (4 strokes)
Stroke Order Diagram
Each box shows the kanji up to that stroke. Red dot indicates stroke start point.
Readings of 五
音On'yomi (音読み)
訓Kun'yomi (訓読み)
五 in different fonts
Vocabulary with 五
| Audio | English  | Romaji | Japanese | Kana |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| five | go | 五 | ご | |
| May | gogatsu | 五月 | ごがつ |
More Information about 五
What does 五 (go) mean and how do you read it?
五 (go) means five. Onyomi (on'yomi) (Chinese reading): ゴ (go). Kunyomi (kun'yomi) (Japanese readings): いつ (itsu), いつ-つ (itsutsu).
Common words with 五 (go)
- 五つ (itsutsu)（いつつ）: five (general counter)
- 五人 (gonin)（ごにん）: five people
- 五月 (gogatsu)（ごがつ）: May
- 五日 (itsuka)（いつか）: the 5th day; five days
- 五分 (gofun)（ごふん）: five minutes
- 五歳 (gosai)（ごさい）: five years old
- 五円 (goen)（ごえん）: 5-yen coin
Cultural/official form: what is 伍 (go)?
In formal money writing, Japan sometimes uses special number forms called 大字 (daiji) to prevent tampering. The daiji for 五 (go) is 伍 (go). Because it’s more complex, it’s harder to alter than a simple 五 (go). You may see it on receipts, invoices, and contracts. Example: 伍万円 (go man'en) (50,000 yen).
Idioms and expressions with 五 (go)
- 五里霧中 (gorimuchū)（ごりむちゅう）: “lost in a fog”; completely puzzled
- 五分五分 (gobugobu)（ごぶごぶ）: fifty-fifty; even odds
- 五体満足 (gotai manzoku)（ごたいまんぞく）: sound in body; physically whole
Fun note: 五輪 (gorin)（ごりん）
五輪 (gorin) literally means five rings—it commonly refers to the Olympic Games. It also appears in classics like 『五輪書』 (Gorin no Sho) (The Book of Five Rings).
