乞 means “beg, entreat”

こう · kou

Also: invite, ask

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

こう

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

コツ, キツ, キ, キケ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 3 strokes

The story

Just three strokes, the last bent like 乙: picture a back bowed low and a hand held out. 乞う is to beg, 雨乞い was a village's prayer for rain, and 乞うご期待, roughly "stay tuned", closes many a trailer.

Used in 乞う (kou, to beg/entreat), 雨乞い (amagoi, praying for rain), and 命乞い (inochigoi, pleading for one's life)

More from Ask & Persuade

• 応 respond
• 請 request
• 迫 close in
• 誘 invite
• 促 urge
• 勧 advise
• 薦 recommend
• 励 encourage
• 奨 encourage
• 諾 consent
• 嘱 entrust

Learn 乞 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.