How to Remember North, South, East & West in Japanese

Step off a train at Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Tokyo Station and you are immediately surrounded by yellow directional signs: 北口 (North Exit), 南口 (South Exit), 東口 (East Exit), and 西口 (West Exit). Mastering these four JLPT N5 kanjis — and both their Kun'yomi and On'yomi readings — takes less than 3 minutes with visual mnemonics.

1. North (北 — きた / ほく) vs. South (南 — みなみ / なん): Skiing Akitas vs. Drilling to Miami

Look at how Shibashi pairs the freezing North (北) and sunny South (南) into two unforgettable adventures:

• 北 (North — きた kita / ほく hoku): The wooden ski-lift towers form the exact strokes of 北! A whole crew (ほく hoku) of happy Akitas (きた kita) went up North skiing in Hokkaido.
• 南 (South — みなみ minami / なん nan): Powered by baskets of warm naan bread (なん nan), an ambitious crew in swimsuits is using a giant wooden drill rig shaped like 南 to drill their way South to Mi(na)ami (みなみ minami)!

2. East (東 — ひがし / とう) vs. West (西 — にし / せい): Sunrise Toast vs. Western Suitcase

Now inspect East (東) and West (西) — the two characters that divide Japan into 東京 (Tōkyō, Eastern Capital) and 関西 (Kansai, Western Region):

• 東 (East — ひがし higashi / とう tō): The sun (日) rising right through a tree (木)! The sun always rises in the East, eating toast (とう tō) with pure heat from a galaxy shipment (ひがし higashi).
• 西 (West — にし nishi / せい sei): Shaped like a sturdy latched trunk! When Japanese travelers head West, they keep their valuables safe (せい sei) inside a niche (にし nishi) special suitcase.

Cheat Sheet: How to Read Every Station Exit & Region Name