How to say “the north” in Chinese
the north (of a country)
“The north” in Chinese is 北方, běi fāng: the meaning, a recording of how it sounds, the characters stroke by stroke and examples.
How to pronounce it
北方 is read běi fāng: 2 syllables. The tone is part of the word: with another melody you get another word, or just a jumble of sounds.
How to write it
Two people sitting back to back.
It hints at the sound in 房 and 放. In 地方 it is read with the neutral tone: fang.
Strokes go in order: top to bottom and left to right, horizontal before vertical. Tap a character to open its page, with the strokes shown large and the words it appears in. To train your hand, print a handwriting sheet for “北方”.
Examples
Sentences from the course lessons with 北方. Tap the sound icon to listen.
- 我是北方人。wǒshìběifāngrénI'm from the north.
- 北方比南方冷běifāngbǐnánfānglěngThe north is colder than the south.
- 北方的冬天很冷běifāngdedōngtiānhěnlěngWinter in the north is cold.
- 我以前住在北方wǒyǐqiánzhùzàiběifāngI used to live in the north.
- 一般来说北方的冬天很冷yìbānláishuō,běifāngdedōngtiānhěnlěngAs a rule, winters in the north are very cold.
- 北方人爱吃馒头和面条儿，南方人爱吃米饭。běifāngrénàichīmántouhémiàntiáor,nánfāngrénàichīmǐfànNortherners love mantou and noodles, and southerners love rice.
More words from the lesson “Northeast, southwest”
Look up another word in the Chinese–English dictionary: in English, in pinyin or in characters.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say “the north” in Chinese?
“The north” in Chinese is 北方, pinyin běifāng.
What does 北方 mean?
北方 (běifāng) means “the north (of a country)”.
How do you write 北方?
北方 is 2 characters: 北 (běi) — north; 方 (fāng) — square; side. The stroke order of each one is shown step by step on this page.
How do you pronounce 北方?
北方 is read běifāng. Tones: běi — third tone, fāng — first tone. The page has a native speaker recording.
“the north” in the lesson “Northeast, southwest”
This word is from the topic “City and travel” of HSK 3. In the lesson you hear it in a dialogue, build a sentence with it and say it out loud. Start for free, no sign-up needed.
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