北

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 北 is read as きた and is a noun for north, one of the four cardinal directions.
• Basic usage: Use 北へ歩く for movement toward the north and 北から吹く for wind coming from that direction.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• へ and から
  • 北へ marks the direction of the walk, while 北から marks the source from which the cold wind arrives.
• Cardinal versus relative direction
  • North remains a compass direction and is not automatically the viewer’s current left or right.