Writing
北 (běi) — how to say "north" in Chinese
北
North
locative word
How to use it
Goes after the noun, not before it.
学校北有个公园。
xué xiào běi yǒu gè gōng yuán
There is a park north of the school.
Radicals / Keys
匕
Spoon
#21 · bǐ · 2 strokes
Collocations
往北走
wǎng běi zǒu
walk north
Examples
我们往北走，去看雪山。
We go north to see the snowy mountains.
北边很冷。
The north is very cold.
Mnemonic
[běi-] Bay the bear cub lost his compass and asks a penguin: "Where is 北?" The penguin points a flipper at the compass: "北 is the direction the needle points to!" Bay nods and walks toward 北, checking the needle. 🧭🐻❄️
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Frequently asked questions
How to say north in Mandarin?
"north" in Chinese is 北 (běi).
北 meaning in English
北 (běi) means "North".
North in Mandarin pinyin
It is pronounced běi (written as bei). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
North in Chinese character
It is written 北 and has 5 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK 3.0 level is 北?
北 is on the HSK 3.0 level 3 word list. It is not part of the six-level HSK 2.0 lists.
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