方
方 — Direction
direction, person, alternative
On’yomiホウ (hou)
Kun’yomiかた (kata)
Kun’yomi-かた (kata)
Kun’yomi-がた (gata)
Stroke order (4 strokes)
Watch the strokes draw themselves in the correct order — numbers mark where each stroke starts. Diagram from KanjiVG (CC BY-SA).
Common words using 方
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
| 見方 | みかた mikata | viewpoint; point of view; way of looking (at something) |
| 地方 | ちほう chihou | district; region; area |
| 方向 | ほうこう houkou | direction; orientation; bearing |
| 方針 | ほうしん houshin | policy; course; plan (of action) |
| 方法 | ほうほう houhou | method; way; manner |
Study notes
方 is a JLPT N4 kanji written with 4 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 2), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #46 of the 2,500 most frequent kanji in newspapers. On’yomi (音読み) are Chinese-derived readings mostly used in compound words; kun’yomi (訓読み) are native Japanese readings, with any highlighted part written in hiragana after the kanji (okurigana).
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