• 方かた — person (polite)
• 夕方ゆうがた — evening
• 味方みかた — ally
• 読よみ方かた — way of reading
• 方向ほうこう — direction

方 shows the tip of a flag or weapon pointing in a direction. Over time, it came to mean direction or side. It is also used as a respectful way to refer to people.

あの方かたは 先生せんせいです。
That person is a teacher.

方向ほうこうを変かえましょう。
Let’s change direction.

🎧 Practice the native pronunciation of 方.