交 means “cross, mix, exchange”
こう · kou
Also: mingle, mixing, association, coming & going
- Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
- まじわる, まじえる, まじる, まざる, まぜる
- On'yomi (Chinese reading)
- コウ
JLPT N3 · Taught in grade 2 · 6 strokes
The story
交 began as a picture of a person standing with crossed legs. It still means crossing and mixing: 交差点 is an intersection, 交通 is traffic, and a 交番 is a police box where officers take turns on watch.
Used in 交通 (koutsuu, traffic), 交番 (kouban, police box), and 交換 (koukan, exchange)
More from Ties & Differences
- 側 side
- 違 differ
- 差 difference
- 横 side
- 雑 mixed
- 互 each other
- 似 resemble
- 緒 together
- 内 inside
- 相 mutual
- 関 connection
- 平 flat
Learn 交 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji
Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.