法 means “law, method”

ほう · hou

Also: rule, principle

Kun'yomi (Japanese reading)
のり
On'yomi (Chinese reading)
ホウ, ハッ, ホッ, フラン

Taught in grade 4 · 8 strokes

The story

Water (氵) flowing in a set direction (去): law is like a river that guides society along its course. Japanese 法律 shaped a nation that transformed from feudal domains to a modern democracy in a single generation.

Used in 方法 (houhou, method) and 法律 (houritsu, law)

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