高 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

高: tall; high; expensive. JLPT N5; 10 strokes.

Readings

On readings

コウ

Kun readings

たか.い、たか-、-だか、たか.まる、たか.める

Romaji

kou, takai, taka, daka, takamaru, takameru

Study notes

高 means 'high' for height and 'expensive' for price; in compounds it also indicates a high level.

On readings: コウ in 高校 (こうこう, senior high school), 最高 (さいこう, the best; fantastic), 高速 (こうそく, high speed; highway), 高齢 (こうれい, advanced age), 高原 (こうげん, plateau).

Kun readings: たかい (高い) means both 'high' (背が高い, tall in stature) and 'expensive' (値段が高い, costly). たか also appears in 高さ (たかさ, height), 高値 (たかね, high price), 高台 (たかだい, height); in compound it becomes だか: 円高 (えんだか, strong yen), 残高 (ざんだか, balance). たかまる (高まる, to grow, to increase) is intransitive; たかめる (高める, to increase, to elevate) is transitive.

Remember: 高い has two opposites: 低い (ひくい, low) for height and 安い (やすい, economical) for price.

Example words

• 高校 (こうこう) — high school
• 高い (たかい) — high; expensive

Example sentences

この山は高いです。

kono yama wa takai desu.

This mountain is high.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.