Skip to content
Kotomora

橫

across, horizontal, lateral

StatusJinmeiyō (variant)Strokes16

Readings

On'yomi

  • オウ
  • コウ

Kun'yomi

  • よこ
  • よこたわる
  • よこたえる

Meaning

橫 centers on the idea of something lying sideways or spanning across: horizontal, lateral, or across. It describes orientation rather than vertical alignment.

Study

Etymology

橫 combines 木 (tree/wood) with 黃, which likely contributes the sound. The original idea may relate to a crosswise wooden beam or something placed horizontally.

Meaning mnemonic

Picture a wooden beam (木) laid across a yellow (黃) frame: the beam runs horizontally, spanning from side to side.

Reading mnemonic

For オウ, imagine an old wooden beam lying across a path, and someone shouts 'Ow!' as they trip over it: 'Ow!' -> オウ, and the beam is horizontal.