Writing
向 (xiàng) — how to say "towards" in Chinese
向
Towards
verb · preposition
Radicals / Keys
口
Mouth
#30 · kǒu · 3 strokes
Synonyms
Collocations
向前走
xiàng qián zǒu
walk forward
向东看
xiàng dōng kàn
look east
Examples
飞机正向东飞行。
The plane is flying eastward.
向左转。
Turn left.
Mnemonic
[xiàng-] Shank the Shark is swimming towards the shoreline 🌊. He draws a horizontal line [一] in the sand with his fin and sees a mouth [口] shape in the clouds, reminding him of the character 向. Shank giggles at the thought of 向 always leading him to fun beach adventures.
Frequently asked questions
Towards meaning in Chinese
"towards" in Chinese is 向 (xiàng).
Xiang meaning in Chinese
向 (xiàng) means "Towards".
Xiang in Chinese pronunciation
It is pronounced xiàng (written as xiang). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
How do you write "towards" in Chinese characters?
It is written 向 and has 6 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 向?
向 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
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Grammar with 向
向 — towards direction
向 (xiàng) + Direction + Verb
朝 vs 向 vs 往 — direction prepositions
朝 (cháo) / 向 (xiàng) / 往 (wǎng) + Direction + Verb
一向 — always been
Subj. + 一向 (yíxiàng) + Verb / Adj.
向来 — always previously
Subj. + 向来 (xiànglái) + Verb / Adj.
一直 vs 一向 — always vs consistently
一直 (yìzhí): continuously (from past to present) / 一向 (yíxiàng): consistently (habit)
向 — formal “extend… to” with 致以
向 (xiàng) + Addressee + 致以 (zhìyǐ) + Noun (feeling/action)