広 — Wide, Broad, Spacious

Meaning

広 means wide, broad, and spacious. It covers physical space — a wide road, a sprawling field, a room with room to breathe — and figurative scope too: broad knowledge, widespread influence, an extensive reach.

Etymologically, 広 is the simplified form of the traditional character 廣. The radical 广 (まだれ, madare) represents a cliff face or overhanging roof — a shelter with walls stretching outward. The inner component 厶 (mu) originally depicted something private or enclosed. Together, they suggest a large structure spreading wide beneath an open roof, which gave rise to the sense of breadth and spaciousness.

広 is everywhere in daily Japanese — as the adjective 広い (hiroi), a family of verbs like 広がる (hirogaru) and 広める (hiromeru), and compound nouns like 広告 (kōkoku, advertisement) and 広場 (hiroba, plaza). Just 5 strokes, taught in Grade 2 — it's one of the first kanji Japanese children learn to write.

Readings

On'yomi (音読み) — Chinese-derived readings

コウ (KŌ) is the on'yomi, used almost exclusively in Chinese-origin compounds (熟語, jukugo). The long vowel makes it easy to recognize in speech. Expect it most often in formal, academic, and business contexts.

広告こうこく (kōkoku) — advertisement, commercial
広大こうだい (kōdai) — vast, immense, extensive
広報こうほう (kōhō) — public relations, publicity, announcement
広域こういき (kōiki) — wide area, broad region
広義こうぎ (kōgi) — broad sense, wider definition (as opposed to 狭義, narrow sense)
広角こうかく (kōkaku) — wide angle (as in photography)

Kun'yomi (訓読み) — Native Japanese readings

Kun'yomi comes from native Japanese. The stem ひろ (hiro) appears in adjective and verb forms that show up constantly in everyday speech.

広ひろい (hiroi) — wide, spacious, broad (i-adjective). Example: 広ひろい部屋へや (hiroi heya) — a spacious room.
広ひろがる (hirogaru) — to spread, to expand, to extend (intransitive verb). Example: 噂うわさが広ひろがる (uwasa ga hirogaru) — a rumor spreads.
広ひろげる (hirogeru) — to spread out, to open up, to widen (transitive verb). Example: 地図ちずを広ひろげる (chizu wo hirogeru) — to spread out a map.
広ひろまる (hiromaru) — to become widespread, to propagate (intransitive). Example: 文化ぶんかが広ひろまる (bunka ga hiromaru) — culture spreads.
広ひろめる (hiromeru) — to spread, to popularize, to disseminate (transitive). Example: 知識ちしきを広ひろめる (chishiki wo hiromeru) — to spread knowledge.
広ひろま (hiroma) — a large hall or wide room (noun form).

Common Words & Compounds

広 appears across a wide range of compounds. Here are the most useful ones, grouped by theme.

Describing Space and Size

広ひろい (hiroi) — wide, spacious, broad
広ひろさ (hirosa) — width, spaciousness, breadth (noun form of hiroi)
広場ひろば (hiroba) — plaza, public square, open space
広間ひろま (hiroma) — large room, hall, drawing room
広大こうだい (kōdai) — vast, immense, sweeping (often used for landscapes)

Communication and Media

広告こうこく (kōkoku) — advertisement, commercial (literally: wide notice)
広報こうほう (kōhō) — public relations, PR, official announcement
広ひろめる (hiromeru) — to spread, to promote, to make widely known

Expansion and Scope

広ひろがる (hirogaru) — to spread out, to expand (intransitive)
広ひろげる (hirogeru) — to spread, to widen, to open (transitive)
広ひろまる (hiromaru) — to become widespread, to circulate
広域こういき (kōiki) — wide area, broad zone
広義こうぎ (kōgi) — broad sense, wide interpretation

Photography and Technology

広角こうかく (kōkaku) — wide angle (e.g., wide-angle lens: 広角こうかくレンズ)

Example Sentences

この部屋へやはとても広ひろいです。

Kono heya wa totemo hiroi desu.

This room is very spacious.

公園こうえんに広ひろい広場ひろばがあります。

Kōen ni hiroi hiroba ga arimasu.

There is a wide plaza in the park.

彼女かのじょは知識ちしきを広ひろめるために本ほんを書かいた。

Kanojo wa chishiki wo hiromeru tame ni hon wo kaita.

She wrote a book in order to spread knowledge.

その噂うわさはすぐに町中まちじゅうに広ひろがった。

Sono uwasa wa sugu ni machijū ni hirogatta.

That rumor spread throughout the town quickly.

地図ちずをテーブルの上うえに広ひろげてください。

Chizu wo tēburu no ue ni hirogete kudasai.

Please spread the map out on the table.

この広告こうこくはとても効果的こうかてきだと思おもいます。

Kono kōkoku wa totemo kōkateki da to omoimasu.

I think this advertisement is very effective.

北海道ほっかいどうには広大こうだいな草原そうげんが広ひろがっている。

Hokkaidō ni wa kōdai na sōgen ga hirogatte iru.

Vast grasslands spread out across Hokkaido.

市しの広報こうほうによると、新あたらしい公園こうえんが来年らいねん開ひらかれる。

Shi no kōhō ni yoru to, atarashii kōen ga rainen hirakareru.

According to the city's public relations office, a new park will open next year.

広角こうかくレンズを使つかうと、もっと広ひろい景色けしきが撮とれます。

Kōkaku renzu wo tsukau to, motto hiroi keshiki ga toremasu.

If you use a wide-angle lens, you can capture a broader landscape.

Related Kanji

Memory Tip

Picture 広 as a house blueprint viewed from above. The radical 广 is the roof — but unlike a small cottage, it stretches far to the sides, sheltering a huge open floor. The little squiggle 厶 is a person standing in the middle, arms spread wide, taking in just how 広い (hiroi) — how wonderfully wide and spacious — the space around them is.

For Vietnamese learners: the Hán-Việt reading QUẢNG appears in quảng trường (public square) and quảng bá (to broadcast widely). Both words carry exactly the same sense of openness and broad reach as 広.