横
横 — Sideways
sideways, side, horizontal, width, woof, unreasonable
On’yomiオウ (ou)
Kun’yomiよこ (yoko)
Stroke order (15 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 横
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 横 | よこ yoko | horizontal (as opposed to vertical); side-to-side (as opposed to front-to-back); width |
| 横綱 | よこづな yokozuna | yokozuna (highest rank in sumo); grand champion; best in its field |
| 横ばい | よこばい yokobai | sidewise crawl (e.g. of a crab); crawling sideways; leafhopper (insect) |
| 横断 | おうだん oudan | crossing (a road, river, etc.); cutting through (e.g. of a river through a town); cutting across |
| 横領 | おうりょう ouryou | embezzlement; misappropriation; usurpation |
| 縦横 | じゅうおう juuou | length and width; length and breadth; lengthwise and crosswise |
Study notes
横 is a JLPT N3 kanji written with 15 strokes. It is taught in Japanese elementary school (grade 3), so native children learn it early — a good sign it appears everywhere. Ranked #480 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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