noun
Refers to the precious metal gold. Often used in literary or poetic contexts, but also in everyday language.
この指輪は純粋な黄金でできている。
This ring is made of pure gold.
宝物庫にはたくさんの黄金が積まれていた。
The treasure vault was piled high with gold coins.
noun
Describes the color gold. Often used in compound words or descriptive phrases.
夕日が空を黄金色に染めた。
The sunset dyed the sky a golden color.
Kana spelling; used when avoiding kanji or for clarity.
Alternate kanji spelling; less common than 黄金 for this reading.
金 (きん) is the more common and technical term for gold as a metal or element, while 黄金 (こがね) often carries a literary or poetic nuance.
The reading こがね is a native Japanese word for gold, predating the introduction of Chinese characters. The kanji 黄金 literally mean 'yellow metal'.