方角
ほうがく · hougaku · JLPT N2 · noun
direction
🧭 方 (direction, side) + 角 (corner, angle) = the side or corner a direction points to
方角 pairs 方 (direction, side) with 角 (corner, angle), as in compass corners. Its 'way' sense appears in 方角を失う, to lose one's bearings.
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.'
角 — pictograph of a horn
角 is a pictograph of an animal's horn, with early oracle-bone forms clearly showing the curved, ridged shape of a horn. From 'horn' it extended to mean corner, angle, and by metaphor a role or part (as in a stage role). The reading jiǎo covers most of these senses.