kyou

Kyou is a romanization of several Japanese terms that share the pronunciation kyō (きょう). Its meaning depends on the kanji used, so the same romanized form can refer to different concepts.

One common sense is 今日, read kyō, meaning “today” or “this day.” This usage appears in everyday language and is found in phrases such as kyō no tenki, meaning today’s weather.

Another important sense comes from 教, read kyō, which conveys “teach” or “education.” It appears in many compounds such as kyōiku (教育, education) and kyōshi (教師, teacher). The character also functions as a component in other education- or teaching-related terms.

A third sense comes from 経 or 經, read kyō, which in Buddhist or classical contexts refers to a sutra or scripture. In Japanese, sutras and the Buddhist canon are often designated with kyō in compounds like daizōkyō (大蔵経), meaning the Buddhist canon.

The character 京, read kyō, means “capital.” It appears in place names and related terms, most notably Kyoto (京都, kyōto), where kyō contributes the sense of “capital.”

In addition to these, kyō appears as a component in personal names and can be part of given names such as Kyōko, where different kanji combinations are used.

Romanization notes: the long vowel in kyō is typically written with a macron in proper Hepburn (kyō). In many ASCII renderings, it appears as kyou or kyo; the exact form varies by system and publisher.

Overall, kyō encompasses several distinct ideas in Japanese, and kyō as a romanization should be interpreted with the accompanying kanji for clarity.