区 means “ward, district”

く · ku

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

ク, オウ, コウ

JLPT N4 · Taught in grade 3 · 4 strokes

The story

A box holding small things sorted into place, a city carved into tidy districts. Tokyo runs on its 23 区, each ward a small city with its own character, from Shibuya to Shinjuku.

Used in 渋谷区 (shibuya-ku, Shibuya Ward), 区別 (kubetsu, distinction), and 地区 (chiku, district)

More from Compass & Position

• 北 north
• 所 place
• 西 west
• 南 south
• 図 map
• 右 right
• 左 left
• 中 inside
• 後 behind
• 前 front
• 上 above
• 東 east

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

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