East
noun
The kanji and the word are exactly the same. That means they share meanings as well.
Since this word is made up of a single kanji, it should use the kun'yomi reading. You learned that reading with the kanji, but here's a mnemonic refresher just in case:
You see a man walk straight toward the sun rising in the east. It's so bright he can't see anything, so he trips and he gashes (ひがし) his knee on a rock. Yikes… But he gets back up, determined to head east, and, oh no, he gashes his other knee! OK, he should probably give up on going east.
ノースカロライナはアメリカの東にあります。
North Carolina is located in east of the United States.
ここから東へ行くと、川がありますよ。
If you go east from here, there is a river.
それでは、東の方を向いて下さい。
Then, please turn to the east.