Meaning
west
Chinese: 西方、西边。
Hear the Four Tones
The same syllable “xi” becomes a different word in each tone. 西 is the 1st tone. Tap any tone to hear a native voice and see its pitch shape.
Stroke Order
Tap Animate to watch the strokes in order, or Practice to trace it yourself.
Common Words
- 东西dōng xīeast and west
- 西边xī biānwest; west side; western part; to the west of
- 西南xī nánsouthwest
- 西北xī běinorthwest
- 西瓜xī guāwatermelon
Example Sentence
太阳从西边落下。Tài yáng cóng xī biān luò xià.The sun sets in the west.
太阳Tài yángsun从cóngfrom西边xī biānwest落下luò xiàto fall。
Go deeper
Where this character comes from
A pictograph, often read as a bird settling into its nest at sundown, or a basket. It means the direction ‘west’ (and is the form in 西方, 东西).
A way to remember it
Where the sun sets — west.
Easy to confuse with
- 酉‘Wine vessel / 10th branch’: a similar frame, but with an extra inner stroke.