東
| Property |
Value |
| Meaning |
east |
| Strokes |
8 |
| JLPT Level |
N5 |
| On-reading (音読み) |
トウ |
| Kun-reading (訓読み) |
ひがし |
| Radical |
木 (tree) [U+6728] |
Stroke Order
The stroke order for 東 follows the standard rule of top-to-bottom and left-to-right.
- Stroke 1: Horizontal stroke (top bar of the 日 component).
- Stroke 2: Vertical stroke (left side of the 日 component).
- Stroke 3: Horizontal stroke (bottom of the top part of the 日 component).
- Stroke 4: Horizontal stroke (bottom of the 日 component).
- Stroke 5: Vertical stroke (center, forming the trunk of the tree).
- Stroke 6: Horizontal stroke (the crossbar of the tree).
- Stroke 7: Left-slanting stroke (the left branch/leg).
- Stroke 8: Right-slanting stroke (the right branch/leg).
Radical Analysis
The kanji 東 is a pictograph. It is composed of 木 (tree) and a symbol representing the sun (日) behind it.
- 木 (Tree): The radical at the bottom.
- 日 (Sun): The top component.
- Combined Meaning: The image represents the sun rising behind a tree, which signifies the east (the direction of the sunrise).
Mnemonic
Imagine a beautiful morning scene: The sun (日) is just starting to peek out from behind a large tree (木). Because the sun always rises in the east, seeing the sun behind the tree reminds you that you are looking toward the east.
On-readings (音読み) with Examples
トウ (Tō)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 東京 |
とうきょう |
Tōkyō |
Tokyo |
| 東洋 |
とうよう |
Tōyō |
The Orient / East |
| 関東 |
かんとう |
Kantō |
Kanto region |
| 東大 |
とうだい |
Tōdai |
University of Tokyo |
Kun-readings (訓読み) with Examples
ひがし (Higashi)
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 東口 |
ひがしぐち |
Higashiguchi |
East exit |
| 東側 |
ひがしがわ |
Higashigawa |
East side |
JLPT N5 Words Using 東
| Word |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
JLPT |
| 東 |
ひがし |
Higashi |
East |
N5 |
| 東京 |
とうきょう |
Tōkyō |
Tokyo |
N5 |
| 東口 |
ひがしぐち |
Higashiguchi |
East exit |
N5 |
| 東側 |
ひがしがわ |
Higashigawa |
East side |
N4 |
| 東洋 |
とうよう |
Tōyō |
The Orient |
N3 |
| 関東 |
かんとう |
Kantō |
Kanto region |
N3 |
| 東北 |
とうほく |
Tōhoku |
Tohoku region |
N3 |
| 東風 |
ひがしかぜ |
Higashikaze |
East wind |
N2 |
Example Sentences
| Japanese |
Reading |
Romaji |
English |
| 太陽は東から昇る。 |
たいようはひがしからのぼる。 |
Taiyō wa higashi kara noboru. |
The sun rises from the east. |
| 東京は日本の首都です。 |
とうきょうはにほんのしゅとです。 |
Tōkyō wa Nihon no shuto desu. |
Tokyo is the capital of Japan. |
| 駅の東口で会いましょう。 |
えきのひがしぐちであいましょう。 |
Eki no higashiguchi de aimashō. |
Let's meet at the station's east exit. |
| 彼は東の方へ歩いて行った。 |
かれはひがしのかたへあるいていった。 |
Kare wa higashi no kata e aruite itta. |
He walked toward the east. |
| 私の家は東向きです。 |
わたしのいえはひがしむきです。 |
Watashi no ie wa higashimuki desu. |
My house faces east. |
| 東北地方は寒い。 |
とうほくちほうはさむい。 |
Tōhoku chihō wa samui. |
The Tohoku region is cold. |
Common Confusion Pairs
| Kanji |
Reading |
Meaning |
How to distinguish |
| 東 |
ひがし |
East |
Contains 木 (tree) at the bottom. |
| 車 |
くるま |
Car |
Looks similar in the middle, but has a different structure (no sun/tree logic). |
| 束 |
たば |
Bundle |
The top is a different shape (a lid/cover) and the bottom is a mouth (口). |
Usage Frequency Note
東 is one of the most frequently used kanji in the Japanese language. It appears daily in news, maps, addresses, and train station names (e.g., Tokyo, Higashi-Shinjuku). It is essential for navigation and basic literacy.