道 dào — direction; way; method; road; path; principle
这条道路通向公园。Zhè tiáo dào lù tōng xiàng gōng yuán.This road leads to the park.
Common words: 知道 (zhī dào)、味道 (wèi dao)、道路 (dào lù)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "direction"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "direction", including 道 (dào), 方 (fāng), 向 (xiàng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "direction" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 道 (dào), 方 (fāng), 向 (xiàng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span dào, fāng, xiàng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 道 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 道 dàodirection; way; method; road; path; principleUseful words: 知道, 味道
- 方 fāngsquare; quadrilateral; direction; justUseful words: 地方, 方法
- 向 xiàngdirection; part; side; towards; to; guideUseful words: 方向, 向前
Common words for these 3 "direction" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 道 (dào) — so "direction" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
知道zhī dàoto know; to become aware of味道wèi daoflavor; taste; (fig.) feeling (of ...); sense (of ...)道路dào lùroad; path; way地方dì fāngregion; regional (away from the central administration); local方法fāng fǎmethod; way; technique; procedure方面fāng miànrespect; aspect; field; side方向fāng xiàngdirection; orientation向前xiàng qiánforward; onward一向yī xiànga period of time in the recent past; (indicating a period of time up to the present) all along; the whole time
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 3 ways to say "direction".
方 fāng — square; quadrilateral; direction; just
请问，火车站在哪个方向？Qǐng wèn, huǒ chē zhàn zài nǎ ge fāng xiàng?Excuse me, which direction is the train station?
Common words: 地方 (dì fāng)、方法 (fāng fǎ)、方面 (fāng miàn)
向 xiàng — direction; part; side; towards; to; guide
请向前走两百米。Qǐng xiàng qián zǒu liǎng bǎi mǐ.Please walk forward two hundred meters.
Common words: 方向 (fāng xiàng)、向前 (xiàng qián)、一向 (yī xiàng)
All 3 characters
Open 道、方、向 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.