边 biān — side; edge; margin; border; boundary
学校旁边有一家书店。Xué xiào páng biān yǒu yì jiā shū diàn.There is a bookstore next to the school.
Common words: 一边 (yī biān)、旁边 (páng biān)、那边 (nà bian)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "border"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "border", including 边 (biān), 际 (jì), 境 (jìng), 疆 (jiāng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "border" covers 4 different Chinese characters — 边 (biān), 际 (jì), 境 (jìng), 疆 (jiāng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 4 characters do not share a sound — their readings span biān, jì, jìng, jiāng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 边 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 边 biānside; edge; margin; border; boundaryUseful words: 一边, 旁边
- 际 jìborder; edge; boundary; between; among; intervalUseful words: 国际, 实际
- 境 jìngborder; place; condition; boundary; circumstances; territoryUseful words: 环境, 边境
- 疆 jiāngborder; boundaryUseful words: 边疆, 开疆
Common words for these 4 "border" characters
Anchor each of these 4 characters in a word you can picture — start with 边 (biān) — so "border" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
一边yī biānone side; either side; on the one hand; on the other hand旁边páng biānside; adjacent place那边nà bianover there; yonder国际guó jìinternational实际shí jìreality; practice; practical; realistic实际上shí jì shàngin fact; in reality; as a matter of fact; in practice环境huán jìngenvironment; circumstances; surroundings; ambient边境biān jìngfrontier; border处境chǔ jìngsituation (of a person)边疆biān jiāngborder area; borderland; frontier; frontier region
See each character in a sentence
Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 4 ways to say "border".
际 jì — border; edge; boundary; between; among; interval
这是一家国际学校。Zhè shì yì jiā guó jì xué xiào.This is an international school.
Common words: 国际 (guó jì)、实际 (shí jì)、实际上 (shí jì shàng)
境 jìng — border; place; condition; boundary; circumstances; territory
他在困境中没有放弃。Tā zài kùn jìng zhōng méi yǒu fàng qì.He did not give up in difficult circumstances.
Common words: 环境 (huán jìng)、边境 (biān jìng)、处境 (chǔ jìng)
疆 jiāng — border; boundary
新疆是中国面积最大的省区。Xīn jiāng shì Zhōng guó miàn jī zuì dà de shěng qū.Xinjiang is the largest province-level region in China.
Common words: 边疆 (biān jiāng)、开疆 (kāi jiāng)、海疆 (hǎi jiāng)
All 4 characters
Open 边、际、境 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.