JLPT N5 · 8 strokes
Kanji 東: "east"
The kanji 東 means "east". It is written with 8 strokes and belongs to JLPT level N5, read トウ in on'yomi and ひがし in kun'yomi.
Stroke order
Strokes are written in the order of the numbers. The order is not decorative: it is what gives the character its balance, and it is also how handwriting search works in Japanese dictionaries.
Readings
On'yomi (Sino-Japanese reading)
トウ
Kun'yomi (native Japanese reading)
ひがし
In a kun'yomi reading, the dot separates the kanji from its okurigana: かた.る is read かたる and written 語る. A hyphen marks a bound position, like -び in 日.
At a glance
| Meaning | east |
|---|---|
| Strokes | 8 |
| JLPT level | N5 |
| Taught in Japan | grade 2 |
| Frequency rank | 37 of 2,501 |
Common words with 東
The most frequent words using this kanji, most common first, with furigana readings. Click one to open it in the reader.
- 東east
- 東京Tokyo
- 関東Kantō (region comprising Tokyo and surrounding prefectures) · Kantō (eastern half of Japan; during the feudal era)
- 東京都Tokyo Metropolis (prefecture); Tokyo metropolitan area
- 東方eastern direction · the Orient
- 東側east side; east bank
- 東洋the East; the Orient; (East) Asia · Japan
- 東部eastern part; the east (of a region)
- 東西east and west · Orient and Occident; East and West
- 東北north-east · Tōhoku (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu); Tohoku
- 北東northeast
- 南東southeast
Keep going
Read real Japanese, not lists
A kanji list does not teach you to read. KanjiYome puts furigana and a dictionary on any Japanese text, offline, and turns the words you meet into review cards.