Word

北 (běi) — Chinese word meaning

HSK 3

Meaning of 北

名 míng noun

north

我家在城市的北边。

wǒ jiā zài chéng shì de běi biān

My home is on the north side of the city.

Log in to add your own translations

Word breakdown

北 běi — north

1 东北 dōng běi — northeast HSK 3
- 东 east
- 北 north
Example

东北的冬天很冷。

dōng běi de dōng tiān hěn lěng

Winters in the Northeast are very cold.
2 北方 běi fāng — north HSK 3
- 北 north (cardinal direction)
- 方 direction, region, area
Example

北方的冬天很冷。

běi fāng de dōng tiān hěn lěng

Winter in the north is very cold.
3 西北 xī běi — northwest HSK 3
- 西 west
- 北 north
Example

中国西北地区气候干燥。

Zhōng guó xī běi dì qū qì hòu gān zào

The climate in northwestern China is dry.
4 北部 běi bù — northern part HSK 4
- 北 north
- 部 part, region
Example

我住在这个城市的北部。

wǒ zhù zài zhè ge chéng shì de běi bù

I live in the northern part of this city.
5 北极 běi jí — North Pole HSK 6
- 北 north, northern direction
- 极 pole, extreme point
Example

他们计划去北极探险。

tā men jì huà qù běi jí tàn xiǎn

They plan to explore the North Pole.

Show more (+2)

6 北美洲 Běi měi zhōu — North America HSK 6
- 北 north
- 美 America (short for Americas)
- 洲 continent
Example

加拿大和美国都位于北美洲。

Jiā ná dà hé Měi guó dōu wèi yú Běi měi zhōu

Canada and the United States are both located in North America.
7 南辕北辙 nán yuán běi zhé — to go south while heading north; self-contradictory HSK 7
- 南 south; represents the direction of the carriage shafts
- 辕 shafts; the poles attached to a cart or carriage
- 北 north; represents the direction of the wheel tracks
- 辙 wheel tracks; the marks left by wheels on the ground
Example

你想减肥却天天吃零食，这不是南辕北辙吗？

nǐ xiǎng jiǎn féi què tiān tiān chī líng shí zhè bú shì nán yuán běi zhé ma

You want to lose weight but eat snacks every day, isn't this self-contradictory?

Structure & writing

1 北 běi — north (the direction to one's left when facing the morning sun, opposite of 'south')

北 is a component in 4 characters

HSK 4

乘 chéng to ride; to travel by (vehicle or animal) 背 bèi back (of the upper body, opposite the chest and abdomen)

HSK 7

乖 guāi obedient, well-behaved (of a child) 燕 yàn swallow (bird with small body, long pointed wings, and forked tail)

北 is an atomic character — it does not decompose further.

Stroke order