Chinese vocabulary · 51 words
Directions in Chinese
The direction words to learn first, each with pinyin, meaning and sound.
- 东dōngeast
- 南nánsouth
- 西xīwest
- 北běinorth
- 东南dōngnánsoutheast
- 东北dōngběinortheast
- 西南xīnánsouthwest
- 西北xīběinorthwest
- 东方dōngfāngeast
- 西方xīfāngthe West
- 南方nánfāngsouth
- 北方běifāngnorth
- 左zuǒleft
- 右yòuright (side)
- 左边zuǒbianleft
- 右边yòubianright side
- 前qiánfront
- 后hòubehind; back
- 前面qiánmiànin front; ahead
- 后面hòumiànback; rear; behind
- 上面shàngmiànabove
- 下面xiàmiànbelow; under; underneath
- 里面lǐmiàninside
- 外面wàimiànoutside
- 旁边pángbiānbeside
- 中间zhōngjiānmiddle
- 对面duìmiànopposite
- 附近fùjìnnearby
- 周围zhōuwéisurroundings
- 隔壁gébìnext door
- 这边zhèbiānthis side
- 那边nàbiānover there
- 方向fāngxiàngdirection
- 往wǎngtoward
- 向xiàngtoward
- 朝cháotoward
- 一直yīzhístraight (ahead)
- 拐guǎito turn (a corner)
- 掉头diàotóuto turn around
- 过guòto pass
- 路口lùkǒuintersection
- 十字路口shízìlùkǒucrossroads
- 红绿灯hónglǜdēngtraffic lights
- 马路mǎlùroad
- 街jiēstreet
- 角jiǎocorner; angle
- 地图dìtúmap
- 地址dìzhǐaddress
- 导航dǎohángnavigation
- 远yuǎnfar
- 近jìnnear; close
More topics
How do you say east in Chinese?
东 (dōng). The most common direction words are 南 (nán, south), 西 (xī, west), 北 (běi, north).
What’s the best way to learn Chinese words by topic?
Hear each word and say it back, then keep the list and let Review bring the words back until they stick. They stick for good once you meet them in real stories and shows, which is what our free Library and extension are for.
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Pinyin and meanings from our own dictionary. Open a word for its characters and real sentences.