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道Nihongo Path
緯

緯·horizontal, woof, left & right

On-yomi
い
Kun-yomi
none

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

Write it in this order; the numbers mark where each stroke starts.

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
緯度いどlatitude
経緯けいいcircumstances, how things came about
北緯ほくいnorth latitude
南緯なんいsouth latitude

Example sentences

  1. 東京の緯度は北緯三十五度くらいです。

    とうきょうのいどはほくいさんじゅうごどくらいです。

    Tokyo sits at about 35 degrees north latitude.

  2. 事件の経緯を詳しく説明してください。

    じけんのけいいをくわしくせつめいしてください。

    Please explain in detail how the incident came about.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • 経緯 is けいい and usually means 'the circumstances / the full story', not 'longitude and latitude'.
  • 緯度 is latitude (crosswise); 経度 is longitude (lengthwise).

Memory aid

Picture it

The thread radical 糸: 緯 is the weft, the thread that runs crosswise through the loom — and on a globe the crosswise lines are the lines of latitude.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 緯 mean?