The Meaning of taka, kou [高] In Japanese

高
たか, こう
Romaji: taka, kou N5

What does 高 mean?

Translation and Meaning

high, tall, expensive

Definition

High or tall; describes elevation, intensity, or superiority and appears in adjectives and compounds to convey height, price, or rank.

Type

adjective (kanji)

Stroke Order

Meanings

  • height or tallness
  • expensiveness or high price
  • high status or prestige
  • high degree or intensity
  • prefix meaning ‘high-‘ in compounds

Etymology

On’yomi: kō from Chinese gāo; Kun’yomi: taka from native Japanese, used in adjectives and compounds.

Origin

Introduced to Japanese with kanji from China around the 5th–6th centuries; it became common in classical texts and later productive in a wide range of compounds expressing height, value, or intensity.

Usage

Used across formal and everyday language to express physical height (高い), price (高価), altitude or level (高度), and abstract notions like seniority or excellence; in compounds, it often serves as a prefix meaning ‘high-‘.
💡 Tips
Mnemonic: imagine a tall tower with a high crown; the image reinforces the meaning of height and links to the kun reading taka in takai.

Variations

  • height or tallness — takai
  • height/altitude sense — koudo
  • expensive sense — kouka
  • top level or supreme sense — saikou

Example Phrases

  • このビルは高くて景色がいい。
    Kono biru wa takakute keshiki ga ii.
    This building is tall and the view is nice.
    Lista:
    • この (kono) – this
    • ビル (biru) – building
    • は (wa) – topic marker
    • 高くて (takakute) – te-form of 高い
    • 景色 (keshiki) – scenery/view
    • が (ga) – subject marker
    • いい (ii) – good
    This uses the te-form of the i-adjective 高い; the kanji is 「高」 meaning high/tall.
  • 町で名高いカフェで友人と待ち合わせした。
    machi de meidakai kafe de yūjin to machiawase shita.
    I met up with a friend at a famous cafe in town.
    Lista:
    • 町 (machi) – town
    • で (de) – at, in
    • 名高い (meidakai) – famous
    • カフェ (kafe) – cafe
    • で (de) – at, in
    • 友人 (yūjin) – friend
    • と (to) – with
    • 待ち合わせ (machiawase) – meeting
    • した (shita) – did
    The word 「名高い」 is a prenominal adjective meaning ‘famous’ or ‘renowned’; it directly modifies the noun that follows, here 「カフェ」.
  • 今日は高校を卒業して、家族と祝った。
    Kyou wa koukou o sotsugyou shite, kazoku to iwatta.
    Today I graduated from high school and celebrated with my family.
    Lista:
    • 今日は (Kyou wa) – today
    • 高校を (koukou o) – high school (object marker)
    • 卒業して (sotsugyou shite) – graduated and
    • 家族と (kazoku to) – with family
    • 祝った (iwatta) – celebrated
    Core idea: The word 「卒業」 is a noun that takes して to form the te-form 卒業して, connecting the action of graduating to the next action (e.g., celebrating).
高