Depicts the cutting edge (一) of a knife blade (刀). Similar in origin to 亡. Based on the original meaning "cutting edge". The meaning later expanded to "perimeter", "area", and "square".
Components
Notes
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Historical Evolution
方
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
方
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
方
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
方
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
方
Oracle
(~1250-1000 BC)
方
Bronze
Late Shang dynasty (~1100 BC)
方
Bronze
Early Western Zhou (~1000 BC)
方
Bronze
Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
方
Bronze
Late Western Zhou (~800 BC)
方
Bronze
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
方
Bronze
Late Spring and Autumn (~500 BC)
方
Bronze
Late Warring States (~250 BC)
方
Bronze
Late Warring States (~250 BC)
方
Seal
Chu (Warring States: 475-221 BC)
方
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
方
Seal
Shuowen (~100 AD)
方
Seal
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
方
Clerical
Qin dynasty (221-206 BC)
方
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
方
Clerical
Western Han dynasty (202 BC-9 AD)
方
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
方
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
方
Clerical
Eastern Han dynasty (25-220 AD)
方
Regular
Modern
Chinese
方 [Fāng]
surname Fang
方 [fāng]
square; power or involution (math.); upright; honest; fair and square; direction; side; party (to a contract, dispute etc); place; method; prescription (medicine); just when; only or just; classifier for square things; abbr. for square or cubic meter
Japanese
noun
- direction; way (also ほう)
- person; lady; gentleman
- method of; manner of; way of
n-suf
- care of ...
- person in charge of ... (also がた)
- side (e.g. "on my mother's side") (also がた)
noun
- direction; way; side; area (in a particular direction)
- side (of an argument, etc.); one's part (often 私の方, あなたの方, etc.)
- type; category
- field (of study, etc.)
- indicates one side of a comparison
- way; method; manner; means
- length (of each side of a square)
suffix
- Sirs; Mesdames (pluralizing suffix)
- around (the time that, etc.); about (also かた)
Example Sentences
Japanese Names
方 あたる
Ataru unclassified name
方 かた
Kata surname
方 ただし
Tadashi given name
方 たもつ
Tamotsu given name
方 とくかた
Tokukata surname
方 ばん
Ban surname
方 ぱん
Pan surname
方 ふおん
Fuon surname
方 ほう
Hou female given namesurname
方 ほん
Hon surname
方 まさし
Masashi given name
方 まさに
Masani female given name
方 みち
Michi given name
CHINESE WORDS (200)
地方 [dìfāng] #181
region
方面 [fāngmiàn] #1,002
respect
方式 [fāngshì] #681
way
方法 [fāngfǎ] #751
method
对方 [duìfāng] #1,386
counterpart
对方 [duìfāng] #1,386
counterpart
方向 [fāngxiàng] #1,325
direction
警方 [jǐngfāng] #1,370
police
方案 [fāng'àn] #3,404
plan
双方 [shuāngfāng] #4,549
bilateral
190 more
items
JAPANESE WORDS (200)
⭐ 方法 [ほうほう] #410
method
⭐ 方向 [ほうこう] #1,037
direction
⭐ 一方 [いっぽう] #1,127
one (esp. of two)
⭐ 仕方ない [しかたない] #1,361
there's no (other) way
⭐ 方がいい [ほうがいい] #1,488
had better ...
⭐ 味方 [みかた] #1,527
friend
⭐ 言い方 [いいかた] #1,666
way of saying (something)
⭐ 仕方がない [しかたがない] #1,993
there's no (other) way
⭐ やり方 [やりかた] #2,086
way (of doing)
⭐ 夕方 [ゆうがた] #2,182
early evening (usu. from 3pm to 6pm)
190 more
items