Which to use
“kun” is a noun and “Kuo” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #20,404
- “kun” frequency rank
- #38,468
- “Kuo” frequency rank
- 58872
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | kun | Kuo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In the Japanese language, the pronunciation, or reading, of a kanji character as a native Japanese word that means what the character represents, contrasted with on. | A surname. |
Letter map: kun vs Kuo
Shared letters muted; letters that set kun and Kuo apart highlighted. Shared run: 2.
Grammar separator: kun vs Kuo
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: kun is anoun and Kuoaname. On the page they differ by a single letter - n in “kun” becomes o in “Kuo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58872, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
kun is recorded at frequency rank #20,404, classified as anoun. Kuo is at rank #38,468, tagged as aname.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 58872, this pair ranks #109,715 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of kun vs Kuo
Shared letters: ku. Private to "kun": n. Private to "Kuo": o.
"kun" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "Kuo" · 3 letters · shape CVV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "kun" and "Kuo" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "kun" vs "Kuo" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pair "kun" vs "Kuo" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.
- Full dictionary entry for "kun" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Kuo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #109,715 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "kun" and "Kuo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Kop vs Kuo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #109,715 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.