Kanji 東 — "East"
Here is what 東 means, how it is read, what it is built from, and a story that makes "East" stick.
How it is read
とう
the reading borrowed from Chinese — usually appears in compound words
ひがし
the native Japanese reading — usually appears when the kanji stands alone
How to remember it
Kanji are not random strokes. Learn the parts and the whole becomes easy. Put the parts together into one picture. The stranger it is, the harder it is to forget.
The Sun rises behind a Tree — that's the East!
- 木 Tree
The shape of a Tree with branches at the top and a trunk in the middle.
- 日 Sun
The Sun in the sky is rectangular in shape. The stroke in the middle is a cloud blocking the sun so it doesn't glare in your eyes.
Words that use 東
6 of 6 words in the app that contain this kanji — the most common ones first.
- 東 ひがし east
- 関東 かんとう eastern half of Japan, including Tokyo
- 東西 とうざい East and West, whole country
- 東洋 とうよう Orient
- 東大寺 とうだいじ Todaiji Temple
- 東照宮 とうしょうぐう Toshogu Shrine (Nikko)
Want 東 to still be there next month?
Reading it once is not remembering it. The app brings each kanji back right before you would have forgotten it.
