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Attested
Found in inscriptions or medieval manuscripts.
This is the sixth rune of the Elder Futhark and writes the sound /k/.
The Old English poem calls this rune cēn, a torch that burns bright where nobles rest. The Norwegian and Icelandic poems call it kaun, an ulcer or sore that is deadly to children.
Reconstructed
Scholarly reconstruction from linguistic evidence.
Because the English and Norse names disagree, the Proto-Germanic name is uncertain. It is usually reconstructed as *kaunan, "ulcer" or "boil," following the Norse poems.
In practice today
How people use this rune now, in divination, magic, and devotion. Valid in its own right, and labeled modern so it isn’t mistaken for history.
In Ralph Blum's modern divination system, this rune (spelled Kano) is read as an opening.
Practice today: wyrd, galdr, and other old words people use when working with the runes now.