The kanji 東 primarily means "east" or "eastern". It represents the direction where the sun rises. It can also imply the idea of the beginning, the origin, or the main area or region related to the east. It is a fundamental direction used in various contexts.

・On-yomi (音読み): トウ (tou) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): ひがし (higashi)

⚫︎東京 Translation: Tokyo (literally "Eastern Capital") ⚫︎東口 Translation: East exit ⚫︎東南アジア Translation: Southeast Asia

The kanji 東 is a pictograph. It originally depicted the sun (represented by a horizontal line) rising behind trees (represented by vertical strokes). Over time, the form has simplified. It signifies the direction of the rising sun, hence "east".