The kanji 横 (yoko) primarily conveys the idea of "side," "horizontal," "width," or "across." It suggests something that is situated to the side of something else, extends horizontally, or spans a distance. It implies a non-vertical orientation.

・On-yomi (音読み): ō ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): yoko

⚫︎ 横断（おうだん） Translation: crossing (e.g., a street) ⚫︎ 横に並ぶ（よこにならぶ） Translation: to line up side by side ⚫︎ 横の道（よこのみち） Translation: side street

The kanji 横 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字). It is composed of the radical 木 (ki, meaning "tree" or "wood") on the left and 黄 (kō, meaning "yellow") on the right, which functions here as a phonetic component, indicating the sound ō. The original meaning may have related to a beam or plank of wood placed horizontally. The development of the character evolved to represent the concept of "side" or "horizontal."