北 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

北: north. JLPT N5; 5 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ホク

Kun readings

きた

Romaji

hoku, kita

Study notes

北 means 'north'.

On reading: ホク in 東北 (とうほく, northeast; Tōhoku region), 北部 (ほくぶ, northern part), 北米 (ほくべい, North America), 北欧 (ほくおう, Northern Europe). Before some sounds it becomes ほっ: 北海道 (ほっかいどう, Hokkaidō), 北極 (ほっきょく, North Pole), 北方 (ほっぽう, the north).

Kun reading: きた, 'north': 北口 (きたぐち, north exit of a station), 北風 (きたかぜ, north wind), 北半球 (きたはんきゅう, Northern Hemisphere), 北朝鮮 (きたちょうせん, North Korea).

Special readings: 北京 (ペキン, Beijing) follows a Chinese-origin pronunciation.

Remember: the kanji depicts two people turning their backs; the meaning of 'turning one's back' survives in 敗北 (はいぼく, defeat), where 北 is read ぼく.

Example words

• 北口 (きたぐち) — north exit
• 北海道 (ほっかいどう) — Hokkaido
• 北 (きた) — north

Example sentences

駅の北口で会いましょう。

eki no kitaguchi de aimashou.

Let's meet at the station's north exit.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.