～方
how to / way of
～方（かた）turns a verb into a noun meaning “the way of doing” that action. It is made by taking the ます-stem of a verb (the ます form with ます removed) and adding 方.
For English speakers, it usually matches “how to ...”: 読み方 is “how to read”, 作り方 is “how to make”. Because the result is a noun, particles like を and が attach to it directly. Be careful not to confuse this 方（かた）with the 方（ほう）used in comparisons like ～たほうがいい.
1. Asking or explaining how to do something
Use ～方 when you want to ask about or explain the method for doing something.
この漢字の読み方を教えてください。
“Please tell me how to read this kanji.”
- この = this
- 漢字（かんじ）= kanji
- の = possessive marker (of)
- 読み方（よみかた）= how to read, way of reading
- を = object marker
- 教えてください（おしえてください）= please tell/teach me
2. Describing the way someone does something
～方 can also describe the manner in which a person does something, not just a method you can learn.
彼の話し方が好きです。
“I like the way he talks.”
- 彼（かれ）= he
- の = possessive marker (his)
- 話し方（はなしかた）= way of talking
- が = subject marker
- 好きです（すきです）= like
How to form it
Verb ます-stem + 方（かた）
- 読む（よむ）= to read → 読み方（よみかた）= how to read
- 作る（つくる）= to make → 作り方（つくりかた）= how to make
- 使う（つかう）= to use → 使い方（つかいかた）= how to use
Key idea
～方 packages an action into a noun meaning “the way of doing it”. If you can ask "What's the way to do this?" in English, you can usually answer it in Japanese with a ～方 noun.
Other N4 grammar
Updated .