北 — JLPT N5 Kanji
北 (ホク/きた): north. JLPT N5 essential kanji.
北
JLPT Level: N5 | Strokes: 5 | Radical: 匕 (spoon/change)
Readings
| Type | Reading | Romaji | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| On-yomi | ホク | hoku | north in compounds |
| Kun-yomi | きた | kita | north |
Meanings
- North
- Northern
Vocabulary
| Word | Reading | Romaji | English | JLPT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 北 | きた | kita | north | N5 |
| 北口 | きたぐち | kitaguchi | north exit | N5 |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう | Hokkaidoo | Hokkaido | N4 |
| 北極 | ほっきょく | hokkyoku | North Pole, Arctic | N3 |
| 東北 | とうほく | Toohoku | Tohoku (region) | N4 |
Stroke Order
- Left component: stroke going left-up then down
- Left component: short horizontal stroke
- Right component: short stroke
- Right component: vertical stroke
- Right component: horizontal base stroke
Memory Aid
北 looks like two people standing back-to-back, turning away from each other — in the northern cold, people huddle together but face away from the bitter wind. Cold north = people turning their backs.
Common Confusion
北 (north) vs 比 (compare) — they look similar. 北 has slightly different stroke arrangement. Associate 北 with "cold north = backs turned away from cold."