傍 — “Bystander / Side / Besides / While” in Japanese

Master (高手)ぼう, かたわ, わき, おか-, はた, そば

Radical ⼈ · radical 9 The building block this kanji is filed under

“Bystander / Side / Besides / While” in Japanese is 傍, read bou, katawa, waki (ぼう, かたわ, わき, おか-, はた, そば). It is a Jōyō kanji taught in Japanese secondary school (junior & senior high) — the 高手 · Master tier beyond the grade 1–6 Kyōiku set, and appears in words such as 傍観 (looking on).

Try it now

What does 傍 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	傍
Meaning	Bystander / Side / Besides / While
Readings	ぼう, かたわ, わき, おか-, はた, そば
Grade	Master (高手 · secondary school)
Curriculum	Jōyō kanji · Japanese secondary school (JLPT N1–N2)
Example	傍観 (looking on)

How to read 傍

傍 is read bou (ぼう) or katawa (かたわ) or waki (わき) or oka (おか-) or hata (はた) or soba (そば) depending on the word.

Words with 傍

傍観

Learn 傍 in real sentences — free

Read stories and news built from only the kanji you already know. KanjiSchool’s path covers all 2,136 Jōyō kanji — 1,018 ready to learn now.

Start free — no credit card →

Kanji read the same way as 傍

Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side:

Updated: 2026-08-28