KANJI: GO itsu (five)

ASCII Art Representation:

 
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Character Etymology:

In ancient times, five was represented by five fingers-- horizontal lines placed one over the other (see also two and three which still use this ideographic technique). Later, the character that meant thread-and-reel was used as a substitute, both for its sound and the fact that it replaced the five fingers when yarn was wound.

A Listing of All On-Yomi and Kun-Yomi Readings:

on-yomi: GO
kun-yomi: itsu itsu(tsu)

Nanori Readings:

Nanori: i sa satsu chi fu mi me

English Definitions:

1. GO, itsu(tsu), itsu: five; five years old.

Character Index Numbers:

New Nelson: 77
Henshall: 19

Unicode Encoded Version:

五

Unicode Encoded Compound Examples:

五月 (gogatsu): May.
五人 (gonin): Five people.
五日 (itsuka): The fifth day (of the month).

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