This site will be taken down March 31st, 2026.

This was not an easy decision to make. For the last couple years, I have been struggling to find motivation for this site and to keep up with basic maintenance and security updates. With the rise of AI and more sophisticated tools, the usefulness of sites like this is questionable and traffic has nose-dived. I just don't have it in me to keep doing this. Thank you all for 10 years of support!

Zach

Readings

Kana: ホク、きた
Romaji: hoku, kita
Kana
Romaji

Name Readings

Kana: きら、ほう、ほっ、ほつ
Romaji: kira, hou, ho, , hotsu
Kana
Romaji

Meaning

north

Stroke Diagram

12345

Kanji Info

Stroke Count:  5
Radical Number:  21
Frequency:  153
Grade:  2
Skip Pattern:  1-3-2
Korean Reading:  bae
Chinese Reading:  bei3
Unicode:  5317
JIS:  4B4C

Indexes

Halpern Index: 197
Nelson Index: 751
New Nelson Index: 581
Spahn Hadamitzky Index: 0a5.5
Four Corner Index: 1111.0
Guide to Remembering Index: 205
Gakken Index: 103
Japanese Names Index: 138
Daikanwanjiten Index: 2574
Daikanwanjiten Index and Page: 2.0442
Remembering the kanji Index: 445
Busy People Index: 2.20
Kanji Way Index: 282
Kanji Flashcards Index: 24
Kodansha Compact Index: 231
Read Writing Kanji Third Index: 224
Kanji in Context Index: 42
1999 Kanji Learners Index: 147
2013 Kanji Learners Index: 176
French Remembering the Kanji Index: 454
Remembering the Kanji 6th Index: 480
Essential Kanji Index: 156
Kodansha Kanji Index: 230
Roo 2001 Kanji Index: 1256
Read Writing the Kanji Index: 139
Tuttle Kanji Cards Index: 115

Words

(きた)
north; the North; northern territories; North Korea; north wind
東北 (とうほく、ひがしきた)
north-east; Tohoku (northernmost six prefectures of Honshu)
北京 (ペキン)
Beijing (China); Peking
北西 (ほくせい)
northwest
北東 (ほくとう、きたひがし)
northeast
北海道 (ほっかいどう)
Hokkaido (island, prefectural-level administrative unit)
北部 (ほくぶ)
northern part; the north (of a region)
南北 (なんぼく)
south and north
敗北 (はいぼく)
defeat; to be defeated
北側 (きたがわ、ほくそく)
north side; north bank
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