東
ひがし · higashi · JLPT N5 · noun
east
🌅 東 = sun 日 caught behind a tree 木: sunrise side = east
Traditional etymology reads 東 as the sun 日 rising behind a tree 木, which happens in the east. Sound hook: higashi starts like high, and the sun climbs high from the east. Same kanji as the tō in Tōkyō 東京, the eastern capital.