字 Kanji Decipher

Meaning & readings

call on, visit, look up, offer sympathy

On’yomi ホウ
Kun’yomi おとず.れる、たず.ねる、と.う
Nanori わ

Origin

This character combines "words" on the left with a sound hint on the right. The left component 言 means speech or words, which gives the character its general sense of communication and interaction. The right component 方 provides a sound clue for how to pronounce it, rather than contributing a separate meaning. Together, the character developed to mean visiting or calling on someone, since visiting typically involves speaking with that person. This meaning then extended to related ideas like looking someone up or offering sympathetic words.

訪 11 strokes

Components

  • 言 radical left
  • 方 sound hint right

A sound hint component points at the character’s pronunciation, not its meaning — don’t read a meaning into it.

Common words

  • 探訪 たんぼう searching; hunting for news story
  • 訪日 ほうにち visit to Japan
  • 訪米 ほうべい visit to the United States
  • 訪問 ほうもん call; visit
  • 来訪 らいほう visit (from someone); call
  • 歴訪 れきほう round of calls; tour of visitation
  • 訪欧 ほうおう visit to Europe; visiting Europe
  • 訪れ おとずれ visit; call

Related kanji

Same sound component 方
Same radical

Reference

Strokes
11
Kangxi radical
149
Formation type
Phono-semantic (meaning + sound hint)
Grade
Grade 6 (Kyōiku)
Frequency rank
#372 (newspapers)
Former JLPT
level 2
Unicode
U+08A2A