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Kotomora

航

navigate, sail, cruise, fly

JLPTN2StatusJōyō · grade 5FrequencyTop 1,000Strokes10

Readings

On'yomi

  • コウ

Kun'yomi

—

Nanori

  • わたる

Meaning

航 centers on traveling across a large body of water or through the air: navigating, sailing, cruising, or flying. The common thread is a vessel moving along a planned route.

Most common words using 航

20 of 258
  • 航空こうくう
    N3

    aviation; flying

  • 航海こうかい
    N1

    (sea) voyage; navigation; sailing; passage; cruise

  • 航空機こうくうき
    N1

    aircraft

  • 航路こうろ
    N1

    (air or sea) route; course; line; run

  • 出航しゅっこう

    departure (of a boat, plane); setting sail; leaving port; putting out to sea; takeoff

  • 渡航とこう

    voyage; passage; travelling

  • 航行こうこう

    cruise; navigation; sailing

  • 運航うんこう

    operation (of a ship or aircraft route); service; navigation; flight

  • 難航なんこう
    N1

    difficult voyage; stormy passage; hard flight

  • 就航しゅうこう

    entering service (on a route; of a plane or ship); going into commission; being in service

  • 巡航じゅんこう

    cruise; cruising

  • 日航にっこう

    Japan Airlines (abbr); JAL

  • 航法こうほう

    sailing; navigation

  • 欠航けっこう

    cancellation (of a flight or sea voyage)

  • 潜航せんこう

    submarine voyage; underwater navigation

  • 航続こうぞく

    cruising; flight

  • 密航みっこう

    stowing away; smuggling oneself; clandestine travel abroad

  • 航跡こうせき

    wake (of a ship or aircraft)

  • 来航らいこう

    arrival of ships (from abroad); arrival by ship

  • 大韓航空たいかんこうくう

    Korean Air; KAL

Explore all words using 航 →

Study

Etymology

航 combines 舟 (boat) with 亢, which likely contributes the sound and may relate to a raised or extended shape, together suggesting a boat moving forward. The exact historical role of 亢 is uncertain.

Meaning mnemonic

A boat 舟 with a raised sail-like shape 亢 on the right: imagine a ship navigating the seas with its sail catching the wind.

Reading mnemonic

For コウ, picture a boat sailing into a cove: cove -> コウ, and the boat navigates safely into the harbor.