故 means “cause, reason, the late”

こ · ko

Also: happenstance, especially, intentionally

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ゆえ, ふるい, もと

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

コ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 5 · 9 strokes

The story

Old (古) plus a hand with a stick (攵): something done long ago that still has consequences. 事故 is an accident, 故障中 hangs on broken vending machines, and in formal writing 故に means "therefore" and 故 before a name means "the late".

Used in 事故 (jiko, accident), 故障 (koshou, breakdown), and 故郷 (kokyou, hometown)

More from Formal Words

• 為 do
• 致 bring about
• 是 right
• 須 must
• 殊 especially
• 尚 still
• 那 that
• 該 the said
• 弥 more and more
• 如 like
• 宜 fitting
• 猶 delay

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