Support Venezuelan earthquake victims bydonating to emergency relief efforts

Nihongo

Classroom

How to say 'Direction' or 'Side' in Japanese | 方

Wondering how to say 'Direction' or 'Side' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Direction or Side is 'Hou', written as 方 in Japanese.'Direction' or 'Side' in hiragana is ほう.

    word

    方

    Meaning

    Direction, Side

    Reading

    ほう

    hou

    Kanji

    方Direction

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '方 (ほう)' can mean 'direction' or 'side'. It is often used to indicate a physical direction, a choice between options, or a comparison between two things. For example: that direction is dangerous「あの方は危ない」(あのほうはあぶない). I prefer this side「こちらの方が好きです」(こちらのほうがすきです). When used in comparisons, it often follows the structure 'Xの方がYより...' to mean 'X is more... than Y'. For example: apples are more delicious than oranges「りんごの方がオレンジより美味しい」(りんごのほうがオレンジよりおいしい). Note that '方' can also be used to refer to a person in a polite way, but this is a different word with the same kanji and reading, so it is not included here.

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    N4

    Kanji Grade

    2

    Frequency

    70

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word 方

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    方

    Meaning

    Direction

Words Related to 方 Through the Kanji 方

These 36 Words contain the Kanji 方 as well.

  • word

    他方

    Meaning

    Other, Another

  • word

    方向

    Meaning

    Direction

  • word

    後方

    Meaning

    Rear, Back

  • word

    味方

    Meaning

    Ally

  • word

    仕方無い

    Meaning

    Helpless

  • word

    やり方

    Meaning

    Method

  • word

    明け方

    Meaning

    Dawn

  • word

    双方

    Meaning

    Both

  • word

    処方

    Meaning

    Prescription

  • word

    彼方

    Meaning

    Yonder

  • word

    前方

    Meaning

    Front

  • word

    方式

    Meaning

    Method

  • word

    何方

    Meaning

    Where, Which

  • word

    書き方

    Meaning

    Way of writing

  • word

    長方形

    Meaning

    Rectangle

  • word

    目方

    Meaning

    Weight

  • word

    行方

    Meaning

    Whereabouts

  • word

    方言

    Meaning

    Dialect

  • word

    正方形

    Meaning

    Square

  • word

    片方

    Meaning

    One, Side

  • word

    方角

    Meaning

    Direction

  • word

    夕方

    Meaning

    Evening

  • word

    言い方

    Meaning

    Way of speaking

  • word

    方針

    Meaning

    Policy

  • word

    仕方

    Meaning

    Way

  • word

    四方

    Meaning

    Directions

  • word

    平方

    Meaning

    Square

  • word

    貴方

    Meaning

    You

  • word

    読み方

    Meaning

    Reading

  • word

    方面

    Meaning

    Direction, Field

  • word

    方々

    Meaning

    People

  • word

    方法

    Meaning

    Method

  • word

    両方

    Meaning

    Both

  • word

    地方

    Meaning

    Region

  • word

    一方

    Meaning

    Side, On the other hand

  • word

    生き方

    Meaning

    Lifestyle

Learn the Word 方

Let's make sure you fully understand this word.

What does 'Hou' (方) mean?

'Hou' means 'Direction' or 'Side' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.

Anime & Manga

Textbooks & Study

Learn & Explore