向こう
むこう
hepburn mukou
over there, opposite side
Part of speech · noun
Pattern visualization
no decomposition available
Examples
- 川の向こうに山が見えます。You can see mountains on the other side of the river.
- 向こう三年は忙しい予定です。I expect the next three years to be busy.
Collocations
向こう (mukou, beyond / other side / future)向こう側 (mukougawa, the other side)向こう三軒両隣 (mukou sangen ryoudonari, "three houses across and two beside" — close neighbors)向く (muku, to face)向ける (mukeru, to point at / direct toward)
Mnemonic
向こう mukou — "beyond / the other side / ahead in time". The spatial sense extends to future time: 向こう三年 = the next three years. "Future as ahead" cognitive metaphor (the walking-path model). Set phrase 向こう三軒両隣 (mukou sangen ryoudonari) = "three houses across + two beside" = the five closest neighbors — a Meiji-era village unit. Verbs 向く (muku, to face) and 向ける (mukeru, to direct toward) — a textbook pair for Japanese intransitive/transitive verb learning.
Quick check
Meaning of 向こう三年?