The character 北 — “north”: how to write it and what it means
north
The Chinese character 北 is read běi and means “north”. Below: the stroke order step by step, what the character is made of and the words it appears in.
Stroke order: how to write 北
北 has 5 strokes. At each step the new stroke is highlighted — write them in the same order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical, a frame before what is inside it, and the bottom stroke of the frame last.
To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for 北, with strokes to trace and empty squares.
What 北 is made of
Two people sitting back to back.
The parts of a character hint at its meaning or its reading — more in the article “Chinese character radicals”.
Words with 北
- 东北northeastHSK 3
- 西北northwestHSK 3
- 北方the north (of a country)HSK 3
- 北部northern partHSK 4
- 北极North Pole, ArcticHSK 6
- 北美洲North AmericaHSK 6
Frequently asked questions
How do you write the character 北?
北 has 5 strokes. They follow the usual rules: top to bottom, left to right, horizontal before vertical, outside before inside. The order of each stroke is shown on this page.
What does 北 mean?
北 means “north”. It appears in 东北 (“northeast”), 西北 (“northwest”), 北方 (“the north”), 北部 (“northern part”).
How do you pronounce 北?
北 is read běi. The tone is part of the reading: with another melody it becomes another syllable.
How many strokes does 北 have?
5 strokes.
More characters on the page “Chinese characters with meanings” and in the list of HSK characters by level; whole words are in the dictionary.
Write 北 yourself
In the lessons you write characters stroke by stroke with a finger or a mouse, and the course checks the order. You can start for free, no sign-up needed.
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