Chinese word

北

Pronunciation

Pinyinběi

Meaning

  • nounnorth

Example

我们向北走。wǒ men xiàng béi zǒu

We walk north.

Illustration for 北 (north)

More examples

他来自北方。tā lái zì běi fāng

He comes from the north.

Core concept

A compass point that helps show where a place lies and which way something moves.

Common phrases

  • 北方běi fāng

    northern region

  • 北边běi biān

    northern side

Similar words

南nán: The direction that points south on a map and toward the Earth's southern regions.
东dōng: The direction that points east on a map and toward the Earth's eastern regions.
西xī: The direction that points west on a map and toward the Earth's western regions.

Definition in Chinese

表示方位的名词，指向地理上的北方，常用作地名或方向词的一部分（如北京、北边）。biǎo shì fāng wèi de míng cí zhǐ xiàng dì lǐ shàng de běi fāng cháng yòng zuò dì míng huò fāng xiàng cí de yí bù fèn rú běi jīng běi biān

Word origin

北 (běi, "north") shows two figures back to back and originally referred to turning away or opposing; its written form was later associated with the northern compass point.

Usage tips

  • In a place name, 北 (běi, "north") can mark a northern location or simply belong to the fixed name, so context matters.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word