eastern Japan; the East
Archaic term for eastern Japan, especially the Kamakura/Edo area as seen from Kyoto or Nara. Now mainly historical or poetic.
Long ago, people in the capital thought of the East as a distant countryside.
east; eastern direction
Archaic general word for 'east'. In modern Japanese, 東 is normally read ひがし.
An old poem says, 'In the eastern fields, the glow of dawn is seen rising.'
Only when written 吾妻 / 吾嬬
Poetic or archaic term for one's spouse, using ateji 吾妻 or 吾嬬. Not used in modern conversation.
The characters 吾妻 can be read as 'azuma' and refer to one's wife.
関東 is the standard modern name for the eastern Japan region, while 東（あずま） is an archaic, poetic term for the same area.
東（ひがし） is the ordinary modern word for 'east', while 東（あずま） is archaic and now used mainly in poetry or historical contexts.
東琴 is the full name of the ancient six-stringed zither, of which 東（あずま） is a shortened form.
妻 is the plain modern word for 'wife', while 東（あずま） is an old poetic term for one's spouse.
arbor; bower; summer house; square gazebo
warrior from eastern Japan (archaic, derogatory) · eastern barbarians (Chinese historical term)
Azuma-uta; old Kanto-area folk songs
wagon; yamatogoto; six-stringed native Japanese zither
man from eastern Japan; Edo man; Kanto man
Erigeron thunbergii (species of flowering plant)
Anemone raddeana
travelling east from Kyoto; going down to Edo
small Japanese mole; Mogera imaizumii
double weeping rosebud cherry; Prunus pendula
Standard kanji for the historical eastern region and related senses.
Ateji spelling used specifically for the 'my spouse' sense; also a place name.
Kana spelling is common in modern writing, especially for the regional name.
Alternate ateji spelling for the 'my spouse' sense.
The reading あずま is of uncertain origin. The kanji 東 is used for its meaning 'east'. The spellings 吾妻 and 吾嬬 are ateji for the 'spouse' sense.
Pleioblastus chino (species of bamboo grass)