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Japanese Directions & Locations Kanji: Learn Direction Words in Japanese

Master Japanese direction and location kanji: 上 (ue/up), 下 (shita/down), 左 (hidari/left), 右 (migi/right), 北 (kita/north), 南 (minami/south), 東 (higashi/east), 西 (nishi/west), and more. Each kanji includes readings, romaji pronunciation, and example sentences for navigating Japan.

Japanese Direction Kanji at a Glance

Compass Points (方角)

The four compass directions, 北南東西 (kita-minami-higashi-nishi), are essential for addresses, train stations, and understanding Japanese geography. Tokyo has 東 (east) in its name: 東京 means "Eastern Capital."

Relative Directions

上下左右前後 (up, down, left, right, front, back) appear everywhere, from navigation signs to describing spatial relationships. These are among the most frequently used kanji in daily life.

JLPT Levels

Most direction kanji are JLPT N5-N4 level; they're fundamental vocabulary every Japanese learner needs. Location kanji like 場 (place), 駅 (station), and 道 (road) are also essential.

Common Japanese Direction & Location Kanji

These eighteen kanji cover compass directions, relative positions, and key location words used in everyday Japanese navigation.

MeaningKanjiHiraganaRomajiJLPT
Up / Above上うえueN5
Down / Below下したshitaN5
Left左ひだりhidariN5
Right右みぎmigiN5
Front / Before前まえmaeN5
Back / After後うしろushiroN5
North北きたkitaN4
South南みなみminamiN4
East東ひがしhigashiN4
West西にしnishiN4
Middle / Center中なかnakaN5
Outside外そとsotoN5
Inside / Enter内うちuchiN4
Between間あいだaidaN5
Near近ちかいchikaiN4
Far遠とおいtooiN4
Place場ばbaN4
Road / Way道みちmichiN4

All Japanese Direction & Location Kanji

Explore each direction kanji with its readings and an example sentence used in everyday Japanese.

⬆
上
Up / Above
うえ (ue)
On'yomi: ジョウ (jō), ショウ (shō)|Kun'yomi: うえ (ue), あ (a), のぼ (nobo)

Example:

本は机の上にあります。

Hon wa tsukue no ue ni arimasu.

The book is on top of the desk.

⬇
下
Down / Below
した (shita)
On'yomi: カ (ka), ゲ (ge)|Kun'yomi: した (shita), さ (sa), くだ (kuda)

Example:

猫はテーブルの下にいます。

Neko wa tēburu no shita ni imasu.

The cat is under the table.

⬅
左
Left
ひだり (hidari)
On'yomi: サ (sa)|Kun'yomi: ひだり (hidari)

Example:

左に曲がってください。

Hidari ni magatte kudasai.

Please turn left.

➡
右
Right
みぎ (migi)
On'yomi: ウ (u), ユウ (yū)|Kun'yomi: みぎ (migi)

Example:

右側を歩いてください。

Migigawa o aruite kudasai.

Please walk on the right side.

🔜
前
Front / Before
まえ (mae)
On'yomi: ゼン (zen)|Kun'yomi: まえ (mae)

Example:

駅の前にコンビニがあります。

Eki no mae ni konbini ga arimasu.

There is a convenience store in front of the station.

🔙
後
Back / After
うしろ (ushiro)
On'yomi: ゴ (go), コウ (kō)|Kun'yomi: うし (ushi), のち (nochi), あと (ato)

Example:

後ろを振り返らないでください。

Ushiro o furikaeranai de kudasai.

Please don't look back.

🧭
北
North
きた (kita)
On'yomi: ホク (hoku)|Kun'yomi: きた (kita)

Example:

北口から出てください。

Kitaguchi kara dete kudasai.

Please exit from the north exit.

🌴
南
South
みなみ (minami)
On'yomi: ナン (nan)|Kun'yomi: みなみ (minami)

Example:

南の島へ旅行に行きたいです。

Minami no shima e ryokō ni ikitai desu.

I want to travel to a southern island.

🌅
東
East
ひがし (higashi)
On'yomi: トウ (tō)|Kun'yomi: ひがし (higashi)

Example:

東京は日本の東にあります。

Tōkyō wa Nihon no higashi ni arimasu.

Tokyo is in the east of Japan.

🌇
西
West
にし (nishi)
On'yomi: セイ (sei), サイ (sai)|Kun'yomi: にし (nishi)

Example:

西の方に山が見えます。

Nishi no hō ni yama ga miemasu.

You can see mountains to the west.

🎯
中
Middle / Center
なか (naka)
On'yomi: チュウ (chū)|Kun'yomi: なか (naka)

Example:

箱の中に何がありますか。

Hako no naka ni nani ga arimasu ka.

What is inside the box?

🚪
外
Outside
そと (soto)
On'yomi: ガイ (gai), ゲ (ge)|Kun'yomi: そと (soto), ほか (hoka), はず (hazu)

Example:

外は寒いですから、コートを着てください。

Soto wa samui desu kara, kōto o kite kudasai.

It's cold outside, so please wear a coat.

🏠
内
Inside / Inner
うち (uchi)
On'yomi: ナイ (nai), ダイ (dai)|Kun'yomi: うち (uchi)

Example:

三日以内に届きます。

Mikka inai ni todokimasu.

It will arrive within three days.

↔
間
Between / Space
あいだ (aida)
On'yomi: カン (kan), ケン (ken)|Kun'yomi: あいだ (aida), ま (ma)

Example:

東京と大阪の間は新幹線で2時間半です。

Tōkyō to Ōsaka no aida wa shinkansen de ni-jikan-han desu.

Between Tokyo and Osaka is 2.5 hours by bullet train.

📍
近
Near
ちかい (chikai)
On'yomi: キン (kin)|Kun'yomi: ちか (chika)

Example:

駅の近くにスーパーがあります。

Eki no chikaku ni sūpā ga arimasu.

There is a supermarket near the station.

🏔
遠
Far
とおい (tooi)
On'yomi: エン (en), オン (on)|Kun'yomi: とお (tō)

Example:

学校は家から遠いです。

Gakkō wa ie kara tooi desu.

The school is far from my house.

📌
場
Place
ば (ba)
On'yomi: ジョウ (jō)|Kun'yomi: ば (ba)

Example:

集合場所はどこですか。

Shūgō basho wa doko desu ka.

Where is the meeting place?

🛤
道
Road / Way
みち (michi)
On'yomi: ドウ (dō)|Kun'yomi: みち (michi)

Example:

この道をまっすぐ行ってください。

Kono michi o massugu itte kudasai.

Please go straight on this road.

Direction & Location Compound Words (Jukugo)

Japanese creates rich directional vocabulary by combining kanji. These compound words are essential for reading signs, understanding addresses, and navigating cities.

CompoundReadingMeaning
東京とうきょう (tōkyō)Tokyo: "Eastern Capital" (east + capital)
北海道ほっかいどう (hokkaidō)Hokkaido: "North Sea Road" (north + sea + road)
上下じょうげ (jōge)Up and down / vertical
左右さゆう (sayū)Left and right / both sides
前後ぜんご (zengo)Front and back / around (a time)
東西とうざい (tōzai)East and west
南北なんぼく (nanboku)North and south
北口きたぐち (kitaguchi)North exit (train station)
南口みなみぐち (minamiguchi)South exit (train station)
中間ちゅうかん (chūkan)Middle / midpoint (middle + between)
近所きんじょ (kinjo)Neighborhood (near + place)
遠足えんそく (ensoku)Field trip / excursion (far + feet)
道路どうろ (dōro)Road / highway (way + road)
場所ばしょ (basho)Place / location (place + place)
地下ちか (chika)Underground / basement (ground + below)
以内いない (inai)Within / less than (by means of + inside)

Japanese Compass Directions Visual Guide

The four cardinal directions and four intercardinal directions form the complete Japanese compass (方位 houi).

北西
NW (hokusē)
北
North (kita)
北東
NE (hokutō)
西
West (nishi)
🧭
東
East (higashi)
南西
SW (nansei)
南
South (minami)
南東
SE (nantō)

Directions in Japanese Culture

Tokyo = "Eastern Capital" (東京)

Japan's capital gets its name from direction kanji: 東 (east) + 京 (capital) = 東京 (Tōkyō, "Eastern Capital"). The name was adopted in 1868 when the capital moved east from Kyoto (京都, "Capital City"). Many Japanese place names contain direction kanji: 北海道 (Hokkaidō, "North Sea Road"), 南極 (nankyoku, "South Pole").

Japanese Addresses & Navigation

Unlike Western addresses that use street names, Japanese addresses use district numbers and block numbers. Direction kanji help specify exits (出口 deguchi), entrances (入口 iriguchi), and station areas. At train stations, you'll see signs like 北口 (kitaguchi, "north exit") and 南口 (minamiguchi, "south exit") constantly.

Common Direction Expressions

右も左もわからない

Migi mo hidari mo wakaranai

"Don't know right from left": To be completely lost or clueless about something.

前を向いて歩こう

Mae o muite arukou

"Let's face forward and walk": Encouragement to look ahead and keep going.

東奔西走

Tōhon seisō

"Running east, running west": Being extremely busy rushing around everywhere.

上には上がある

Ue ni wa ue ga aru

"There's always someone above": No matter how good you are, someone is better.

Tips for Remembering Japanese Direction Kanji

Learn Pairs Together

Direction kanji come in natural pairs: 上下 (up/down), 左右 (left/right), 前後 (front/back), 東西 (east/west), 北南 (north/south). Learning them as pairs reinforces both at once and mimics how they're used in real Japanese.

Use Visual Mnemonics

上 has a line pointing UP above the base. 下 has a line pointing DOWN below the base. 左 and 右 are mirror-like characters: 左 (left) starts with the "left" stroke ナ, while 右 (right) starts with the "mouth" stroke 口.

Read Train Station Signs

Japanese train stations are full of direction kanji: 北口 (north exit), 南口 (south exit), 東口 (east exit), 西口 (west exit). Practicing reading these signs mentally trains your recognition of direction kanji in context.

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