向く
むく · muku · JLPT N3 · verb-godan
to face
🧭 向 means direction, as in 方向 hōkō; muku = turn toward one
向く has relatives with the same sound: 向かう mukau (to head toward) and 向こう mukou (over there, the side you face). If you know one muk- word, you can work out the others: they are all about facing a direction.
向 — roof 宀 + mouth 口
Originally a pictograph of a house with a north-facing window, showing an opening in a wall under a roof. The early meaning was 'north window,' which extended to 'the direction something faces,' then broadly to 'toward' or 'direction.' The modern shape simplified the window into 口.