金(きん)

きん
noun
gold; Friday
colortime-day-of-week
1. gold (metal)
The precious yellow metal.
金(きん)は高(たか)い。
Gold is expensive.
これは金(きん)でできている。
This is made of gold.
The gold ring is carefully stored away.
This watch is made of gold, and it's very heavy.
I still use with great care the gold watch my father bought when he was young.
2. gold (color)
The color of gold.
Golden hair.
The mountain looks golden.
In autumn, the leaves turn golden.
The evening sky turned golden and was very beautiful.
In the evening, I saw the sea water turn golden and thought it was truly beautiful.
3. Friday
Abbreviation for 金曜日.
営業日(えいぎょうび):月(げつ)〜金(きん)
Business days: Monday to Friday
授業(じゅぎょう)は火(か)・金(きん)の午後(ごご)です。
Classes are on Tuesday and Friday afternoons.
月(げつ)水(すい)金(きん)に授業(じゅぎょう)がある。
I have classes on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.
I have weekends off and work Monday through Friday.
The schedule says "Fri 7:00 p.m. meeting."

金(きん) has three main uses: the metal gold, the color gold, and as an abbreviation for Friday.

COMPOUNDS (metal):

COMPOUNDS (color):

USAGE (Friday):
金(きん) = 金曜日(きんようび) (Friday). Used in schedules: 月(げつ)水(すい)金(きん) (Mon/Wed/Fri).
In speech, Friday is 金曜(きんよう) or 金曜日(きんようび); bare 金(きん) for Friday belongs to written schedules and lists, and to runs of days said aloud (月(げつ)水(すい)金(きん), 月(げつ)から金(きん)まで).

Related words

Watch out

The kanji is the same but the reading determines the meaning.