向 — “direction / to face” in Japanese

Grade 3こう, む, むこ

Radical ⼝ · radical 30 The building block this kanji is filed under

“direction / to face” in Japanese is 向, read kou, mu, muko (こう, む, むこ). It is a Grade 3 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 3 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 方向 (direction).

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What does 向 mean?

Full details, readings & example

Kanji	向
Meaning	direction / to face
Readings	こう, む, むこ
Grade	Grade 3 (Medium)
Curriculum	Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school
Example	方向 (direction)

How to read 向

向 is read kou (こう) or mu (む) or muko (むこ) depending on the word.

Words with 向

方向ほうこう
傾向

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Kanji read the same way as 向

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

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Updated: 2026-08-28