北 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
北 means north — the direction. You'll meet it in two roles: standing alone as きた (北 = "the north," 北口 = "north exit"), and as a building block inside compound words where it switches to ホク (東北 "northeast / Tohoku," 北極 "North Pole"). It's one of the four directions, 東西南北 (とう・ざい・なん・ぼく — east, west, south, north), so learning 北 is really learning a whole set: 東 (east), 西 (west), 南 (south), 北 (north). Spot 北 on a station sign or weather map and you instantly know which way is up.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | きた | 北 (north), 北口 (きたぐち, north exit), 北風 (きたかぜ, north wind) |
| on'yomi | ホク | 東北 (とうほく, Tohoku/northeast), 南北 (なんぼく, north-south) |
| on'yomi (sound change) | ホッ | 北海道 (ほっかいどう, Hokkaido), 北極 (ほっきょく, North Pole) |
Here's the rule of thumb: the kun'yomi (きた) shows up when 北 stands alone or names a plain direction, while the on'yomi (ホク) appears inside two-kanji compounds. Watch one thing, though — before certain sounds the ホク gets clipped to a small-tsu ホッ, so 北海道 is ほっかいどう (not ほくかいどう) and 北極 is ほっきょく. That little sound change trips up a lot of beginners, so it's worth saying out loud a few times.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 5. Write the left half first (a short stroke and a vertical), then the right half, finishing with the long horizontal-into-hook on the right. The shape is two halves that face away from each other — fittingly, the original picture was of two people standing back to back.
- Radical: the radical is 匕 (spoon), the small element on the right side. It's not very "meaning-y" here — 北 is mostly recognized by its overall back-to-back shape rather than by its radical.
A handy way to remember the form: two people turning their backs to each other. In fact 北 originally meant "back," and the "north" meaning came from houses traditionally facing south, putting your back to the north.
Common words using 北
Notice the reading split at work: the lone direction 北 and the everyday 北口 take きた, while the compounds flip to ホク — and in 北海道 and 北極 that ホク clips down to ホッ. Same rule of thumb as above, with the one sound change to keep an ear out for.
Example sentences
ヤッタンの家は駅の北にあります。
ヤッタンの いえは えきの きたに あります。
Yattan's house is to the north of the station.
北 standing alone — the kun'yomi きた reading.
モチは北口でヤッタンを待っています。
モチは きたぐちで ヤッタンを まっています。
Mochi is waiting for Yattan at the north exit.
北口 (きたぐち) — still the kun'yomi きた, just with a small sound change to ぐち.
先生は「北海道は東北より北にありますよ」と言いました。
せんせいは「ほっかいどうは とうほくより きたに ありますよ」と いいました。
Sensei said, Hokkaido is further north than the Tohoku region.
Three readings in one line: 北海道 (ホッ), 東北 (ホク), and きた standing alone.
Quick recap
- 北 = north; 5 strokes; pictured as two people back to back.
- きた when it stands alone or names a plain direction (北, 北口); ホク in compounds (東北, 南北).
- Watch the sound change: 北海道 = ほっかいどう and 北極 = ほっきょく (ホク → ホッ).
- It's one of the four directions: 東西南北 (east, west, south, north).
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 北 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 北 in 北 vs 北海道?
On its own, 北 is the kun'yomi きた ('north'). In 北海道 it's the on'yomi, but it clips to ホッ — so 北海道 is ほっかいどう, not ほくかいどう. As a rule, compounds take the on'yomi (ホク).
Why is 北海道 read ほっかいどう and not ほくかいどう?
It's a common sound change: when ホク meets the か-sound that follows, the く drops and becomes a small っ (sokuon). The same thing happens in 北極 (ほっきょく). It just makes the word easier to say.
How many strokes does 北 have, and what's its radical?
北 has 5 strokes. Its radical is 匕 (the 'spoon' element on the right), though 北 is usually recognized by its overall back-to-back shape.
What are the other three direction kanji?
北 is one of 東西南北 (とう・ざい・なん・ぼく): 東 east, 西 west, 南 south, 北 north. Learning them as a set makes train and map signs much easier to read.