Japanese kanji 高: high; tall; expensive

The idea

高 has 10 strokes. Follow the order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Compare 高い（たかい）, “high; tall; expensive”, with 高校（こうこう）, “high school”. A character may be read differently from word to word; learn each word as a unit.

Examples

• あの山やまは高たかいです。That mountain is high.
• 金きんはとても高たかいです。Gold is very expensive.
• 兄あには高校こうこうに通かよっています。My older brother goes to high school.
• 妹いもうとは高校生こうこうせいです。My younger sister is a high school student.
• この山やまの高たかさを知しっていますか。Do you know the height of this mountain?
• このかばんは高たかいです。This bag is expensive.

Watch out

高い can describe height or price; the context tells you whether something is high, tall or expensive. Compare the shape of 高 with 京; notice how their components differ.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 高い (high; tall; expensive) in hiragana.

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   たかい

   高い is read たかい and means “high; tall; expensive”. Remember the reading as part of the whole word.

2. Write the reading of 高校 (high school) in hiragana.

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   こうこう

   高校 is read こうこう and means “high school”. Remember the reading as part of the whole word.

3. Fill in the missing kanji: ＿校生（こうこうせい）.

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   高

   高 completes 高校生（こうこうせい）, meaning “high school student”.

4. Which word means “high school”? Write the whole word using kanji: 高校 or 高い.

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   高校

   高校 is read こうこう and means “high school”. Remember the reading as part of the whole word. 高い instead means “high; tall; expensive”.

Use it today

Write 高 three times following the linked stroke diagram. Cover the table, read 高い and 高校 aloud, and then check their readings and meanings.