古い
ふるい · furui · JLPT N5 · i-adj
old
🏚️ furui: the FURniture is OOH-so old, an EEk-worthy antique
古 = ten (十) over mouth (口): a story passed through ten mouths, i.e. ten generations, is old. Use 古い for things, not people; an elderly person is 年寄り or 年を取った, never 古い.
古 — ten 十 + mouth 口
古 is traditionally analyzed as 十 (ten) over 口 (mouth), suggesting words passed down through ten generations — hence 'ancient' or 'old.' Some scholars view the top as a stylized helmet or skull shape in oracle bone forms. The core meaning of 'ancient, old, former times' has remained stable since early Chinese writing.