北 — “north” in Japanese

Grade 2ほく, きた

Radical ⼔ · radical 21 The building block this kanji is filed under

“north” in Japanese is 北, read hoku, kita (ほく, きた). It is a Grade 2 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 2 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 北海道 (Hokkaido).

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What does 北 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	北
Meaning	north
Readings	ほく, きた
Grade	Grade 2 (Easy)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	北海道 (Hokkaido)

How to read 北

北 is read hoku (ほく) or kita (きた) depending on the word.

Words with 北

北上ほくじょう
北米ほくべい
北海道ほっかいどう
北極
北斗七星

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Updated: 2026-08-28