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道Nihongo Path
北

北·north

On-yomi
ホク
Kun-yomi
きた

By Nihongo PathUpdated

Stroke order

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

5 strokes, numbered in writing order. Data: KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0).

Common words

WordReadingMeaning
北きたnorth
北海道ほっかいどうHokkaido
北口きたぐちnorth exit
東北とうほくnortheast (Tohoku)

Example sentences

  1. 北海道は冬がとても寒いです。

    ほっかいどうはふゆがとてもさむいです。

    Winter in Hokkaido is very cold.

  2. 駅の北にコンビニがあります。

    えきのきたにこんびにがあります。

    There is a convenience store north of the station.

Similar-looking kanji

Do not confuse these on the exam.

Common mistakes

  • Reading 北海道 as *きたかいどう instead of ほっかいどう

Memory aid

Picture it

Two people sitting back to back to keep warm: the cold north.

Vocabulary using this kanji

Quick check

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What does the kanji 北 mean?