The kanji 玖 primarily represents "jewel," "black jewel," or "a beautiful black stone." It often implies something precious, valuable, and of high quality. It can also be used as a numeral, specifically for the number nine, though this usage is less common than other kanji for the same number.

・On-yomi (音読み): キュウ (kyuu) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): None commonly used.

⚫︎ 玖珠町 Translation: Kusu town (in Oita Prefecture) ⚫︎ 九十九里浜 (Note: while 九 is the primary kanji for nine, it appears with the similar meaning in this place name). Translation: Kujukuri Beach (literally, "Ninety-Nine-Ri Beach", a beach on the Pacific coast of Chiba Prefecture). ⚫︎ 玖 (used in names, rarely as a standalone). Translation: The kanji 玖 itself used as part of a given name.

The kanji 玖 is a phono-semantic compound. ⚫︎ The left side is a "玉" (gyoku, meaning "jade" or "jewel"), which serves as the semantic component, indicating the character's association with precious stones or objects. ⚫︎ The right side is "久" (kyuu, meaning "long-lasting"), which acts as the phonetic component, indicating the sound of the kanji. ⚫︎ Therefore, the character was originally conceived to represent a black jewel (玉) that lasts long (久).