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< Grade 1 Lesson
九 - Nine
A fisherman casts his fishhook into the river, but instead of a fish he pulls up a dragon’s bend-a curving tail from the legend of Kuzuryū, the Nine-Headed Dragon.
As he reels, the line snaps with a sharp hook flick (乙), echoing “kyū!”-just like the Japanese word for Nine.
He remembers: on the 9th day of the 9th month, the Chrysanthemum Festival (Chōyō no Sekku) celebrates double yang-so Nine is power, myth, and balance all in one.
Whenever you see 九, picture the hook, the bend, and the snap that calls forth Nine.
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九 - Nine
Index #14
Grade 1
2 strokes
JLPT Level: N5
Readings: キュウ, ク, ここの・つ
Kanji Primes

Common Vocab

ここのか 九日
nine days, 9th of the month
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