Nihongo

Kanji Detail of 側

側

Level:N3 Low
Strokes:11
Stroke Order
Related Words
AI Explanation
Basic Meaning

The kanji 側側 primarily means "side," "flank," or "nearby." It refers to the lateral aspect of something, the position next to something, or a related location. It can also imply a person's perspective or viewpoint.

Readings

・On-yomi (音読み): ソク (soku) ・Kun-yomi (訓読み): そば (soba) - side, vicinity; がわ (gawa) - side

Usage Examples

⚫︎右側 Translation: right side ⚫︎川の側 Translation: the side of the river ⚫︎彼の側側 Translation: his side (perspective)

Origin and Formation

The kanji 側側 is a phono-semantic compound (形声文字 - keisei moji). The radical is 亻 (ninben, meaning "person"). The phonetic component is 則 (soku), which originally meant "rule" or "standard," but here gives the sound. The combination suggests something being alongside a person or the side where a person would be located.

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