Japanese symbol for “northward”
北方
ほっぽう
Romaji: hoppou
the north; northward; northern direction
In Japanese, northward is 北方, read ほっぽう (hoppou).
Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.
Meanings
- adj-no, n the north; northward; northern direction
- n northern part (e.g. of a country); northern district
Kanji and stroke order
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 北部 | ほくぶ hokubu | northern part; the north (of a region) |
| 北海道 | ほっかいどう hokkaidou | Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit) |
| 敗北 | はいぼく haiboku | defeat; loss; reverse |
| 南北 | なんぼく nanboku | north and south; north to south |
| 北朝鮮 | きたちょうせん kitachousen | North Korea |
| 北東 | ほくとう hokutou | northeast |
| 方法 | ほうほう houhou | method; way; manner |
| 一方 | いっぽう ippou | one (esp. of two); the other; one way |
Data: JMdict (CC BY-SA 4.0); KANJIDIC2 (CC BY-SA 4.0); KanjiVG (CC BY-SA 3.0); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.