縦 and 横: orientation and dimensions
Learn vertical and horizontal directions, arrangements, and dimensions rather than a neighboring position.
Vertical orientation
縦, read たて, means the vertical direction. 紙を縦に置きました。 means placing paper in a vertical orientation.
縦に三つ並べました。 means arranging three items vertically. 三つ counts items; it does not specify a length of three centimeters.
Horizontal orientation
横, read よこ, here means the horizontal direction. 写真を横にして見ました。 means turning a photograph horizontally to view it.
文字を横に書きました。 means writing characters horizontally. 横 here is not the neighboring person's seat.
Matching dimensions
縦が二十センチ、横が三十センチです。 gives twenty centimeters vertically and thirty horizontally. Match each measurement to its direction.
縦と横を逆にしました。 says that the vertical and horizontal orientations were reversed. It does not report adding or removing items.
What is the horizontal dimension in 縦が二十センチ、横が三十センチです?
Show the answer and why
Thirty centimeters, distinct from the twenty-centimeter vertical dimension.