Languages › Japanese Learn the Japanese Word Aku Share Flipboard Email Print Nikola Spasic / EyeEm / Getty Images Japanese Essential Japanese Vocabulary History & Culture Japanese Grammar By Namiko Abe Japanese Language Expert B.A., Kwansei Gakuin University Namiko Abe is a Japanese language teacher and translator, as well as a Japanese calligraphy expert. She has been a freelance writer for nearly 20 years. our editorial process Namiko Abe Updated February 04, 2019 The Japanese word aku, pronounced "ah-koo", is a commonly-used word translated to mean "to open", "to begin", or "to become vacant". Japanese Characters あく Example Kono seki wa aite imasu ka.この席は空いていますか。 Translation: Is this seat taken?