旧 means “former, old”

きゅう · kyuu

Also: old times, old things, old friend

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

ふるい, もと

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

キュウ

JLPT N2 · Taught in grade 5 · 5 strokes

The story

A post (丨) beside the sun (日): picture an old sundial still counting days gone by. 旧 is former: 旧姓 is the surname before marriage, 旧正月 the lunar New Year, and 復旧 is service restored after a breakdown.

Used in 旧姓 (kyuusei, former surname), 新旧 (shinkyuu, old and new), and 復旧 (fukkyuu, restoration)

More from The Order of Things

• 並 line up
• 逆 reverse
• 久 long time
• 停 stop
• 順 order
• 了 finish
• 永 eternity
• 複 multiple
• 翌 next
• 補 supplement

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

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