方
かた · kata · JLPT N5 · noun
way of doing
kata = the polite direction: point toward a person instead of naming them
方 originally means direction or side. Japanese shows respect by indirection, so あの方 (that direction) became a polite way to say that person. Same root gives verb + 方 = the way of doing, as in 読み方, way of reading.
方 — pictograph of a plow or two boats joined side by side
方 originated as a pictograph, traditionally interpreted as a plow handle or two boats lashed together. From the idea of paired boats it extended to mean 'side by side,' then 'square,' 'direction,' and 'region.' It was later borrowed for the abstract sense of 'method' or 'way.'
ほう · hou · JLPT N3 · noun
side
🧭 ほう sounds like how: which side, which way, how to do it
方 covers side, direction and way of doing something, and ほう sounds close to the English how. Asking which way also asks how. You'll see it in compounds such as 両方 (both sides) and 読み方 (way of reading).
方 — pictograph of a plow or two boats joined side by side
方 originated as a pictograph, traditionally interpreted as a plow handle or two boats lashed together. From the idea of paired boats it extended to mean 'side by side,' then 'square,' 'direction,' and 'region.' It was later borrowed for the abstract sense of 'method' or 'way.'