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capital; Tokyo; Kyoto
Kanji 99

Thank you for visiting this Character Home Page. Below you'll find a synopsis of the essay. If you wish to read the full text, the PDF of the essay is available for purchase to the right.

Synopsis

Learn to associate the キョウ, ケイ, and キン readings of 京 with very different contexts. Find out which three cities this character can represent. See how 京 pairs with all cardinal directions—but how “western capital” and “southern capital” aren’t what you’d expect. (One has a relationship to miso, the other to peanuts!) And learn about the people of Tokyo and Kyoto through old proverbs. 

Revision history:

Dec. 5, 2023: p. 6: Updated a reference to the 2020 Olympics. 

Feb. 18, 2021: Considerably expanded the "Iroha" sidebar on p. 3.

Feb. 5, 2021: Originally published.

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Kanji PDF
Cover of essay 99 on 京, titled "A Capital Idea"
Mini Profile
JOYO ON-YOMI
キョウ, ケイ
JOYO KUN-YOMI
None
STROKES8
RADICAL亠 (8: lid)
JLPTN1
HALPERN1297/1766
HENSHALL99/110
SPAHN2j6.3