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

Learn 交 and more kanji free on Fuji Learning · All kanji

Readings from KANJIDIC2, © EDRDG, CC BY-SA.