九

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 九時に学校へ行く。▶ —
   I go to school at nine.
2. 九人の学生がいる。▶ —
   There are nine students.

Collocations

Mnemonic

Kyuu (九) is the on-yomi reading for nine in Japanese, with the older variant ku. Distribution: kyuu is the conversational default, ku survives in fixed expressions. Ku-ji (9 oclock — old on-yomi variant), ku-gatsu (September), kokonoka (the 9th of the month — Yamato variant), kyuu-kai (9 times), kyuu-nin (9 people). Time-unit switch: 9 oclock uses ku-ji, 9 months kyuu-kagetsu, 9 years kyuu-nen. Ku (9) is a homophone of ku (苦, suffering), pairing with shi (4) as Japans twin avoidance numbers — hospitals often skip 9 too, especially maternity wards (suffering association). Korean sino-reading is gu, Chinese is jiu, Japanese is kyuu / ku. Large numerals build on kyuu: kyuu-juu-kyuu (99), kyuu-hyaku (900), kyuu-sen (9000). The four-character idiom kyuushi ni isshou wo eru (九死一生, near-death escape) carries over from Chinese.

Quick check

1. Japans two taboo numbers?

   • 4 (shi = death homophone) and 9 (ku = suffering homophone)
   • 7 and 13
   • 13 and 666
   • 8 and 12