呉 means “Wu (ancient China)”

ご · go

Also: give, do something for, kingdom of Wu

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
くれる, くれ
On'yomi (Chinese reading)
ゴ

JLPT N1 · Taught in secondary school · 7 strokes

The story

A mouth (口) over a figure with legs spread wide (八): picture a herald shouting across a river kingdom. 呉 names Wu, the ancient state on the lower Yangtze, and 呉服, kimono cloth, recalls weavers said to have come from there.

Used in 呉服 (gofuku, kimono fabric), 呉服屋 (gofukuya, kimono shop), and 呉越同舟 (goetsu doushuu, rivals in the same boat)

More from Politics & Diplomacy

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

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