金 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
At its heart, 金 covers a tidy little cluster of meanings: gold, money, and metal in general. Those ideas are linked — gold is a precious metal, and for most of history money was metal. You'll meet 金 in two main roles: as a standalone word meaning "money" (お金) or "gold" (金), and as a building block inside everyday compounds (金曜日 "Friday," 料金 "fee," 現金 "cash"). The handy payoff is that whenever you spot 金 in an unfamiliar word, there's a good chance it touches money, value, or metal — an instant head start on the meaning.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | かね | お金 (money), 金持ち (rich person) |
| kun'yomi | かな | 金物 (かなもの, hardware/metalware) — less common |
| on'yomi | キン | 金曜日 (Friday), 料金 (fee), 金 (gold), 現金 (cash) |
| on'yomi | コン | 黄金 (おうごん／こがね, gold) — rare |
Here's a rule of thumb that works for most kanji, not just this one: the kun'yomi (かね) tends to show up when the kanji stands more or less alone (often with the polite お in front), while the on'yomi (キン) appears inside two-kanji compounds. So お金 uses かね, but 金曜日 and 料金 use キン. One thing to flag early: お金 is read おかね — that お is the polite prefix, not part of the kanji's reading. The 金 by itself there is just かね.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 8, written top to bottom — start with the "roof" shape on top (the slanted left and right strokes), then fill in the body and finish with the two little strokes at the bottom.
- Radical: 金 is its own radical, the "gold/metal" radical (かね). On the left side of other kanji it gets squished into the form 釒 — which is your clue that those kanji relate to metal. You'll see it in 鉄 (iron), 銀 (silver), and 針 (needle), among others.
Recognizing that radical is genuinely useful: meet a new kanji with 釒 on the left and you can already guess it has something to do with metal.
Common words using 金
Notice the reading split in action: お金 (with the polite お) takes かね, while every compound — 金曜日, 料金, 現金, 金魚 — flips to キン. The standalone 金 meaning "gold" is the exception you should just memorize: it's read きん (on'yomi), not かね.
Example sentences
ヤッタンはお金を全部貯金しました。
ヤッタンは おかねを ぜんぶ ちょきんしました。
Yattan saved up all of his money.
お金 — the kun'yomi かね reading (with the polite お prefix).
モチは金曜日に料金を払いました。
モチは きんようびに りょうきんを はらいました。
Mochi paid the fee on Friday.
Both compounds use the on'yomi キン: 金曜日 (きん) and 料金 (りょうきん).
先生は「これは本物の金ですか」と弟に聞きました。
せんせいは「これは ほんものの きんですか」と おとうとに ききました。
Sensei asked Yattan's little brother, 'Is this real gold?'
金 alone meaning 'gold' is read きん (on'yomi), not かね.
Quick recap
- 金 = gold / money / metal; 8 strokes; it's the "gold/metal" radical itself.
- かね when it stands alone — usually お金 (おかね, "money"); キン in compounds (金曜日, 料金, 現金).
- Watch out: standalone 金 meaning "gold" is きん (on'yomi), and お金 is おかね (the お is the polite prefix).
- The squished radical 釒 on a kanji's left hints "metal" — as in 鉄 (iron) and 銀 (silver).
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 金 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 金 in お金 vs 金曜日?
In お金 it's the kun'yomi かね (お金 = おかね, 'money'); the お is just a polite prefix. In 金曜日 it's the on'yomi キン (金曜日 = きんようび, 'Friday'). As a rule, compounds take the on'yomi.
How is 金 read when it means 'gold' by itself?
On its own, 金 meaning 'gold' is read きん (the on'yomi), as in 本物の金 (real gold). This is a handy exception to remember, since standalone kanji often take the kun'yomi.
How many strokes does 金 have?
金 has 8 strokes and is also the 'gold/metal' radical, which appears as 釒 on the left of related kanji like 鉄 (iron) and 銀 (silver).
What does the radical in 金 tell me?
金 is the 'gold/metal' radical. When it sits on the left of another kanji as 釒, it signals the kanji relates to metal — a handy clue for guessing meanings.