方角|ほうがくhougaku[0]heiban (flat)

1. noundirection; way
2. nounpoint of the compass; cardinal direction; bearing
   その物体ぶったいは光ひかりを放はなちながら南みなみの方角ほうがくへ飛とんで行いった。↗

   The object flew away to the south, giving out flashes of light.
3. nounmethod; means; approach

• Synonym方向ほうこうNeutralThe general word for direction, abstract or concrete, also covering course of action. 「方角」 mostly means compass bearing and suggests the object is somewhat far off.
• Synonym向きむきNeutralThe way something is facing or oriented; also what someone or something is suited for. 「方角」 centers on the compass points, north, south, east and west.
• Synonym方ほうNeutralLoose word for a direction or which side something is on, very common in speech, as in 「駅の方」. 「方角」 is used for more distant directions and compass bearings.
• Synonym方位ほういWrittenWritten, technical term for bearings and compass points, as in surveying. 「方角」 is the more everyday word.
• Synonym方面ほうめんNeutralA district or area lying in a certain direction, as in 「関西方面」, and by extension a field or area of interest. 「方角」 is about the direction itself.
• Related針路しんろNeutralThe course a ship or aircraft steers. 「方角」 is for compass directions such as north, south, east and west.

Use 「方角」 for compass directions or a direction some distance away, as in 「鬼門の方角」「駅の方角」. For direction in general pick 「方向」, for the way something faces 「向き」, for an area in a given direction 「方面」, and for a ship's or plane's course 「針路」.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

1. 方向ほうこう。向むき。ニュアンスとしては、対象たいしょうが多少たしょう遠方えんぽうにある場合ばあい用もちいる。
2. 方位ほうい。