位 wèi — position; location; (measure word for persons); place; seat
这位老师教我们中文。Zhè wèi lǎo shī jiāo wǒ men Zhōng wén.This teacher teaches us Chinese.
Common words: 单位 (dān wèi)、座位 (zuò wèi)、各位 (gè wèi)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "seat"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "seat", including 位 (wèi), 座 (zuò), 席 (xí). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "seat" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 位 (wèi), 座 (zuò), 席 (xí) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span wèi, zuò, xí — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 位 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 位 wèiposition; location; (measure word for persons); place; seatUseful words: 单位, 座位
- 座 zuòseat; base; stand; measure word for large; solid thingsUseful words: 座位, 讲座
- 席 xíbanquet; woven mat; seat; place; woven matUseful words: 主席, 出席
Common words for these 3 "seat" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 位 (wèi) — so "seat" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
单位dān wèiunit (of measure); unit (group of people as a whole); work unit (place of employment, esp. in the PRC prior to economic reform)座位zuò wèiseat各位gè wèieverybody; all (guests, colleagues etc); all of you座位zuò wèiseat讲座jiǎng zuòcourse of lectures; lecture series; chair (academic position)座谈会zuò tán huìconference; symposium; rap session主席zhǔ xíchairperson; premier; chairman出席chū xíto attend; to participate; present首席shǒu xíchief (representative, correspondent etc)
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 "seat".
座 zuò — seat; base; stand; measure word for large; solid things
请问，这个座位有人坐吗？Qǐng wèn, zhè ge zuò wèi yǒu rén zuò ma?Excuse me, is this seat taken?
Common words: 座位 (zuò wèi)、讲座 (jiǎng zuò)、座谈会 (zuò tán huì)
席 xí — banquet; woven mat; seat; place; woven mat
会场里的座席已经坐满了。Huì chǎng lǐ de zuò xí yǐ jīng zuò mǎn le.The seats in the meeting hall are already full.
Common words: 主席 (zhǔ xí)、出席 (chū xí)、首席 (shǒu xí)
All 3 characters
Open 位、座、席 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.