指 zhǐ — finger; to point; to direct; to indicate
他用手指了指那座山。Tā yòng shǒu zhǐ le zhǐ nà zuò shān.He pointed at that mountain with his finger.
Common words: 指导 (zhǐ dǎo)、指出 (zhǐ chū)、手指 (shǒu zhǐ)
Meaning Index
Chinese characters meaning "to direct"
Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "to direct", including 指 (zhǐ), 导 (dǎo), 董 (dǒng). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words…
How to Study This Meaning Group
The English word "to direct" covers 3 different Chinese characters — 指 (zhǐ), 导 (dǎo), 董 (dǒng) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 3 characters do not share a sound — their readings span zhǐ, dǎo, dǒng — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 指 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.
- 指 zhǐfinger; to point; to direct; to indicateUseful words: 指导, 指出
- 导 dǎoto transmit; to lead; to guide; to conduct; to directUseful words: 领导, 导演
- 董 dǒng(surname); supervise; to direct; directorUseful words: 古董, 董事长
Common words for these 3 "to direct" characters
Anchor each of these 3 characters in a word you can picture — start with 指 (zhǐ) — so "to direct" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.
指导zhǐ dǎoto guide; to direct; to instruct; coach指出zhǐ chūto indicate; to point out手指shǒu zhǐfinger领导lǐng dǎolead; leading; to lead; leadership导演dǎo yǎnto direct; director (film etc)指导zhǐ dǎoto guide; to direct; to instruct; coach古董gǔ dǒngcurio; antique董事长dǒng shì zhǎngchairman of the board of directors董事会dǒng shì huìboard of directors
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 "to direct".
导 dǎo — to transmit; to lead; to guide; to conduct; to direct
这位导游很热情。Zhè wèi dǎo yóu hěn rè qíng.This tour guide is very warm.
Common words: 领导 (lǐng dǎo)、导演 (dǎo yǎn)、指导 (zhǐ dǎo)
董 dǒng — (surname); supervise; to direct; director
爷爷收藏了不少珍贵的古董。Yé ye shōu cáng le bù shǎo zhēn guì de gǔ dǒng.Grandpa has collected quite a few precious antiques.
Common words: 古董 (gǔ dǒng)、董事长 (dǒng shì zhǎng)、董事会 (dǒng shì huì)
All 3 characters
Open 指、导、董 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.