If you travel around Japan, read a map, watch the weather forecast, or look at train station signs, you will often see words for directions such as north, south, east, and west.
In Japanese, these words are easy to learn once you know the four basic directions.
Let’s look at the most useful direction words in Japanese and how to use them naturally.
1. North – 北⬆️
北（きた） means north.
Examples
北海道は日本の北にあります。
Hokkaido is in the north of Japan.
北に山があります。
There is a mountain to the north.
You may already know this kanji from 北海道(ほっかいどう), Hokkaido.
The 北 in 北海道(ほっかいどう) means “north.”
2. South – 南⬇️
南（みなみ） means south.
Examples
沖縄は日本の南にあります。
Okinawa is in the south of Japan.
駅の南に公園があります。
There is a park south of the station.
3. East – 東➡️
東（ひがし） means east.
Examples
東京は日本の東にあります。
Tokyo is in eastern Japan.
東の空が明るくなりました。
The eastern sky became bright.
A useful way to remember 東 is 東京（とうきょう）.
4. West – 西⬅️
西（にし） means west.
Examples
大阪は東京より西にあります。
Osaka is west of Tokyo.
西の方に行きます。
I’m going toward the west.
The Four Basic Directions 🗺️
The four main directions are:
北 – north
南 – south
東 – east
西 – west
A useful word to remember is:
東西南北
This means “east, west, south, and north,” or more generally, “all directions.”
Notice that the readings change in this compound:
東 → とう
西 → ざい
南 → なん
北 → ぼく
This happens often when kanji are combined into words.
Northeast – 北東
北東（ほくとう） means northeast.
It combines:
北 = north
東 = east
Example
台風は北東に進んでいます。
The typhoon is moving northeast.
You may hear this kind of expression often in Japanese weather reports. 🌧️
Northwest – 北西
北西（ほくせい） means northwest.
It combines:
北 = north
西 = west
Example
町の北西に大きな山があります。
There is a large mountain northwest of the town.
Southeast – 南東
南東（なんとう） means southeast.
It combines:
南 = south
東 = east
Example
島は東京の南東にあります。
The island is southeast of Tokyo.
Southwest – 南西
南西（なんせい） means southwest.
It combines:
南 = south
西 = west
Example
台風は南西から近づいています。
The typhoon is approaching from the southwest.
All Eight Directions in Japanese 🧭
Here are the eight basic directions:
北 – north
北東 – northeast
東 – east
南東 – southeast
南 – south
南西 – southwest
西 – west
北西 – northwest
One important point is that the four main directions usually use their Japanese readings:
きた・みなみ・ひがし・にし
But combined directions usually use different readings:
ほくとう・ほくせい・なんとう・なんせい
Direction + 口 at Train Stations 🚉
One very practical place where you will see these words is at train stations.
北口 – North Exit
南口 – South Exit
東口 – East Exit
西口 – West Exit
For example:
新宿駅の西口で会いましょう。
Let’s meet at the West Exit of Shinjuku Station.
Japanese train stations can have many exits, so knowing these four words is very useful when meeting someone.
～の北 / 南 / 東 / 西
To describe where something is located, you can use:
A の 北 – north of A
A の 南 – south of A
A の 東 – east of A
A の 西 – west of A
Examples
東京の北に埼玉県があります。
Saitama Prefecture is north of Tokyo.
東京の西に山梨県があります。
Yamanashi Prefecture is west of Tokyo.
駅の東にホテルがあります。
There is a hotel east of the station.
This pattern is very useful when describing locations on a map. 📍
～方面 – In the Direction of
Another useful word is:
方面（ほうめん）
direction / area / toward
You may hear this at train stations.
For example:
東京方面
toward Tokyo / Tokyo direction
北方面
northbound / toward the north
東京方面の電車に乗ってください。
Please take the train heading toward Tokyo.
～側 – The ___ Side
You can also combine directions with 側（がわ）, meaning “side.”
北側 – north side
南側 – south side
東側 – east side
西側 – west side
Example
駅の東側にコンビニがあります。
There is a convenience store on the east side of the station.
Useful Direction Vocabulary 📚
北（きた） – north
南（みなみ） – south
東（ひがし） – east
西（にし） – west
北東（ほくとう） – northeast
北西（ほくせい） – northwest
南東（なんとう） – southeast
南西（なんせい） – southwest
方面（ほうめん） – direction / area
側（がわ） – side
口（ぐち） – exit, gate
Quick Practice ✏️
Can you understand these sentences?
北海道は日本の北にあります。
Hokkaido is in the north of Japan.
駅の西口で会いましょう。
Let’s meet at the West Exit of the station.
台風は北東に進んでいます。
The typhoon is moving northeast.
ホテルは駅の南側にあります。
The hotel is on the south side of the station.
Once you remember 北・南・東・西, you will start noticing these kanji everywhere in Japan—from maps and weather forecasts to train stations and signs.
Start with these four:
北 = north
南 = south
東 = east
西 = west
Then learning 北東(ほくとう)・北西(ほくせい)・南東(なんとう)・南西(なんせい) becomes much easier! 🌏
