Korean word

동서남북

Pronunciation

Romanizationtongseonambuk

Meaning

  • nounthe four directions

Example

지도를 보면서 동서남북을 확인했어요.chi do reul po myeon seo tong seo nam bu geul hwa gin hae sseo yo

I checked north, south, east, and west while looking at a map.

Illustration for 동서남북 (the four directions)

More examples

건물마다 동서남북 표지판이 있어요.keon mul ma da tong seo nam buk pyo ji pa ni i sseo yo

Every building has a sign showing the four directions.

Core concept

A compass-like frame that gathers the four basic points into one whole.

Common phrases

  • 동서남북을 확인tong seo nam bu geul hwa gin

    check the four directions

  • 동서남북 방향tong seo nam buk pang hyang

    the four directions

  • 동서남북 표지판tong seo nam buk pyo ji pan

    four-direction sign

Similar words

동쪽tongjjok: The eastern side of a place or the direction toward it.
서쪽seojjok: The western side of a place or the direction toward it.
남쪽namjjok: The southern side of a place or the direction toward it.
북쪽pukjjok: The northern side of a place or the direction toward it.

Definition in Korean

동서남북은 동쪽, 서쪽, 남쪽, 북쪽 네 방향을 한데 이르는 말.tong seo nam bu geun tong jjok seo jjok nam jjok puk jjok ne pang hyang eul han de i reu neun mal

Word origin

It is a Sino-Korean compound formed from words meaning east, west, south, and north, placing the four compass points in one fixed sequence.

Usage tips

  • In maps and navigation, it gives a compact way to discuss orientation, while a specific bearing normally uses one directional term.

Other meanings

  • all directionsnoun

Related words

Word lists with this word