東

東 icon

east

東 is a pictograph of a sack (an ancient bag for holding items). In ancient China, without electricity, travelers would set out early in the morning to make full use of natural light when the sun rose. Thus, 東 represents the direction of sunrise, the east. Additionally, 東 and 束 (bundle) share the same origin, both being pictographs of a sack.

Vocabulary of 東

  • 東北 (Northeast)
  • 東亞 (East Asia)

Related Characters: