往 means “go, going, past”

おう · ou

Also: journey, travel, chase away, let go

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)

いく, いにしえ, さきに, ゆく

On'yomi (Chinese reading)

オウ

JLPT N1 · Taught in grade 5 · 8 strokes

The story

A step (彳) toward the master (主): setting out to go. 往 is the going and 復 the coming back, so 往復 is a round trip, and when snow strands cars on the expressway, the news calls it 立ち往生, stopped dead mid-journey.

Used in 往復 (oufuku, round trip), 往来 (ourai, coming and going/traffic), and 立ち往生 (tachioujou, being stranded)

More from Routes & Returns

• 軌 track
• 逸 deviate
• 搬 carry
• 循 circulate
• 旋 revolve
• 迭 replace
• 遷 move
• 遡 go upstream
• 臨 face
• 還 return
• 至 reach
• 滞 stagnate

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

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