Japanese symbol for “side”
方
ほう
Romaji: hou
direction; way; side; area (in a particular direction)
In Japanese, side is 方, read ほう (hou).
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
- n direction; way; side; area (in a particular direction)
- n side (of an argument, etc.); one's part
- n type; category
- n field (of study, etc.)
- n indicates one side of a comparison
- n way; method; manner; means
Kanji and stroke order
Other Japanese words for “side”
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 側面 | そくめん sokumen | side; flank; profile |
| 側 | そば soba | (place) near by; (place) close by; (place) right next to |
| 側 | がわ gawa | side (of something, or taking someone's side); part |
| 元 | もと moto | (one's) side |
| 脇 | わき waki | armpit; under one's arm; side |
Related words
Words that share a kanji.
| Word | Reading | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 地方 | ちほう chihou | district; region; area |
| 方向 | ほうこう houkou | direction; orientation; bearing |
| 仕方 | しかた shikata | way; method; means |
| 方針 | ほうしん houshin | policy; course; plan (of action) |
See also: Chinese symbol for “side”.
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.