向こう

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 川の向こうに山が見えます。▶ —
   You can see mountains on the other side of the river.
2. 向こう三年は忙しい予定です。▶ —
   I expect the next three years to be busy.

Collocations

Mnemonic

向こう mukou — the other side, over there, and shifted into time, "ahead." 向こう三年 is the next three years — the metaphor where the direction of facing becomes the future. 向こう三軒両隣 is three houses across and two beside, the five closest neighbors — in the Meiji era, a single unit of the village community. The verbs 向く and 向ける form a pair, intransitive and transitive parting from this one character.

Quick check

1. Meaning of 向こう三年?

   • The next three years (toward the future)
   • The past three years
   • The house three years across
   • Opposite side for three years