五
ご · go · JLPT N5 · noun
five
🖐️ Go! Five fingers up for a high-five: go = five
Sounds like the English word go. A countdown ends 5-4-3-2-1-go, so five and go bookend the same count. One hand has five fingers, and a high-five is what you give when someone says go.
五 — two horizontal lines + crossed strokes
五 originally depicted two parallel lines (heaven and earth) with an X between them, representing the interaction of the five elements. Over time it became the standard numeral for 'five.' The ancient form 㐅 (just the X) was later framed by the two lines to distinguish it clearly as a number.