latitude · weft

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 緯 has 16 strokes and appears in compounds for latitude and the course of events.
• Basic usage: 北緯 is read ほくい, and 経緯 is read けいい.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• 北緯 and 経緯
  • 北緯 means north latitude.
  • 地理の問題で、島が北緯何度にあるか地図から読み取った。 means “For the geography problem, I read from a map how many degrees north the island lies.”
  • 経緯 means circumstances or course of events.
  • 担当者が計画を変更した経緯を説明した。 means “The coordinator explained how the plan came to be changed.”