Several parts combine into one character.

Another phonetic loan with a beautiful folk etymology layered on top. Originally 東 pictured a bag tied at both ends — used phonetically to write "east". But over centuries the visual coincidence with 日 (sun) sitting between 木 (tree) generated a new folk reading: "the direction where the sun rises through the trees". This second etymology is poetically false but pedagogically useful. Three forms: 繁體 東 / 新字体 東 / 简体 东 (the simplified form drops the tree component entirely).

Mandarin: dōng, level 1st tone (simplified 东). 东 anchors a Mandarin curiosity worth knowing: 东西 (dōngxi, with neutral final tone) means "thing / object". The literal compound is "east-west", but the meaning is generalized — possibly because in pre-modern markets, goods were stored along east-west axes. So when a Chinese speaker says 我要买东西 (wǒ yào mǎi dōngxi) — "I want to buy things" — they're literally saying "I want to buy east-west". Other compounds: 东方 (dōngfāng, the East), 东京 (Dōngjīng, Tokyo — "Eastern Capital"), 东海 (Dōnghǎi, East China Sea).

Japanese: on-reading トウ (tō) for compounds — 東京 (Tōkyō, Tokyo, Japan's capital — "Eastern Capital"), 東洋 (tōyō, the East / the Orient), 東部 (tōbu, eastern part), 関東 (Kantō, the Kantō region around Tokyo). Kun-reading ひがし (higashi) is the everyday word — 東 (higashi, east), 東日本 (higashi-Nihon, eastern Japan), 東口 (higashiguchi, east entrance — common at train stations).

The city name Tokyo (東京) literally translates to "Eastern Capital" — a name given in 1868 to distinguish the new capital from Kyoto (京都, "the Capital City") to the west. Three East Asian capitals share the same root: Beijing (北京 = Northern Capital), Tokyo (東京 = Eastern Capital), Nanjing (南京 = Southern Capital).

Memory aid: sun rising through trees (folk etymology) — east as the rising direction.