Meaning
The kanji 陸 means land — solid, dry ground as opposed to water. It can refer to a shoreline, the mainland, or an entire continent. Geography, the military, aviation, and athletics all use it regularly.
The structure tells the story. The left side is 阜 (阝), the "hill" or "mound" radical, which evokes elevated, solid terrain. The right side is 坴, a combination of 土 (earth, soil) and a reinforcing element that doubles down on the idea of stable ground. Together, the character suggests firm, raised earth — exactly what land looks like when you approach it from the sea.
陸 also has a secondary role worth knowing: it serves as the formal, fraud-proof replacement for 六 (the numeral six) on contracts, checks, and official financial documents. Just as 壱 replaces 一 and 弐 replaces 二, 陸 replaces 六 to prevent tampering with written amounts. One character, two lives: "land" in everyday Japanese, "six" on the bank statement.
陸 is taught in Grade 4 of Japanese elementary school. It has 11 strokes, and its radical is 阜 (阝), the hill radical on the left side of the character.
Readings
On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings
陸 has two on'yomi readings: リク and ロク. Both are Sino-Japanese, but they appear in very different situations.
リク is the reading you'll encounter most. It shows up in compound words for geography, transportation, and the military — think of it as the standard "land" reading.
- 陸地 (rikuchi) — dry land, terra firma
- 陸上 (rikujō) — on land; track and field athletics
- 陸軍 (rikugun) — army, land forces
- 内陸 (nairiku) — inland region, interior
- 大陸 (tairiku) — continent (e.g., the Asian continent)
ロク is the formal numeral reading, used exclusively as a written replacement for 六 (six) on contracts and official documents to prevent forgery. You won't hear ロク in conversation, but recognizing it in legal or financial paperwork is essential.
- 陸万円 (roku-man-en) — sixty thousand yen (formal written form)
Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings
陸 has one kun'yomi reading: おか. It means "hill" or "shore" — dry land as perceived from the water. The reading has a poetic, old-fashioned quality and appears in standalone use, surnames, and older literary compounds.
- 陸 (oka) — land, shore (as seen from the sea)
A common point of confusion: the place names 静岡 (Shizuoka) and 福岡 (Fukuoka) use the separate kanji 岡, not 陸. The historical province name 陸前 (りくぜん, Rikuzen) does use 陸, but with the リク reading — not おか. In modern Japanese, おか as a standalone reading of 陸 is fairly rare and mostly literary.
Common Words & Compounds
陸 forms compound words across several domains. Here are the key ones at N2 level:
Geography & Terrain
- 陸地 (rikuchi) — dry land, terra firma
- 大陸 (tairiku) — continent
- 内陸 (nairiku) — inland, interior region
- 陸続き (rikutsuzuki) — connected by land (no ocean separating)
- 陸橋 (rikkyō) — overpass, land bridge
Aviation & Sea Transport
- 上陸 (jōriku) — landing, coming ashore; a typhoon making landfall
- 着陸 (chakuriku) — aircraft landing, touchdown
- 離陸 (ririku) — takeoff (of an aircraft)
Military
- 陸軍 (rikugun) — army, ground forces
- 陸上自衛隊 (Rikujō Jieitai) — Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (JGSDF)
Sports & Athletics
- 陸上 (rikujō) — track and field; athletic events held on land
- 陸上競技 (rikujō kyōgi) — track and field athletics (formal term)
- 陸上部 (rikujō-bu) — track and field club (at school)
Example Sentences
台風が上陸する前に、窓を閉めておいた。
Taifū ga jōriku suru mae ni, mado wo shimete oita.
Before the typhoon made landfall, I had closed the windows.
飛行機は無事に着陸した。
Hikōki wa buji ni chakuriku shita.
The airplane landed safely.
彼女は高校で陸上部に入った。
Kanojo wa kōkō de rikujō-bu ni haitta.
She joined the track and field club in high school.
日本は島国なので、大陸と陸続きではない。
Nihon wa shimaguni nanode, tairiku to rikutsuzuki de wa nai.
Since Japan is an island nation, it is not connected to the continent by land.
内陸の都市では、新鮮な魚が手に入りにくい。
Nairiku no toshi de wa, shinsen na sakana ga te ni hairi nikui.
In inland cities, it is hard to get fresh fish.
飛行機が離陸する瞬間がいちばん好きだ。
Hikōki ga ririku suru shunkan ga ichiban suki da.
I love the moment the plane takes off.
兵士たちは海岸に上陸して作戦を開始した。
Heishi-tachi wa kaigan ni jōriku shite sakusen wo kaishi shita.
The soldiers landed on the coast and began the operation.
陸上競技の中で、彼は走り幅跳びが得意だ。
Rikujō kyōgi no naka de, kare wa hashiri habatobi ga tokui da.
Among track and field events, he is especially good at the long jump.
この小切手には陸万円と記入されている。
Kono kogitte ni wa roku-man-en to kinyū sarete iru.
This check is filled out for sixty thousand yen (using the formal numeral 陸).
Memory Tip
Picture a sailor who has been at sea for weeks. Finally, a shape appears on the horizon — a green hill rising out of the water. That hill shape on the left side of 陸 (the 阝 radical, meaning "mound" or "elevated ground") is your first glimpse of solid earth. The right side looks like layers of compacted soil stacked up firmly, reinforcing the idea of stable, trustworthy ground.
Every time you see 陸, imagine that sailor pointing at the horizon and shouting 「陸だ！」 — "Land!" As a bonus: 陸 looks heavier and more complex than 六, which is exactly why officials chose it for documents where a single extra stroke could change a financial amount.