# 傍 — beside; bystander

傍 means “beside; bystander”. It is a JLPT N1 kanji written with 12 strokes. On'yomi: ボウ (bou). Kun'yomi: かたわ(ら) (katawara). You'll see it in words such as 傍ら (katawara, “side; edge”).

- Meaning: beside; bystander
- On'yomi: ボウ (bou)
- Kun'yomi: かたわ(ら) (katawara)
- Strokes: 12
- Level: JLPT N1 · set Size & position 2

## How to remember 傍

Parts: 亻 person · 立 stand · 冖 cover · 方 direction; banner

## Words with 傍

| Word | Reading | Meaning |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 傍ら | かたわら (katawara) | side; edge |

## Don't confuse it with

[帝](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/sovereign/)

## More in the “Size & position 2” set

[圏](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/zone/) · [縦](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/vertical/) · [隔](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/isolate/) · [仰](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/look-upward/) · [傍](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/beside/) · [隙](https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/gap/)

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From Moji Ninja (https://moji.ninja/), a free app for learning hiragana, katakana and the JLPT kanji from N5 to N1 with spaced repetition. Page: https://moji.ninja/n1-kanji/beside/. Last updated 2026-11-01.