Directions in Chinese: 东南西北, Left and Right, and Asking the Way
The four cardinal directions in Chinese are 东 / 東 (dōng, east), 南 (nán, south), 西 (xī, west), and 北 (běi, north) — recited in that fixed order, 东南西北, rather than English's "north, south, east, west." Add 左 (zuǒ, left), 右 (yòu, right), and 直走 (zhí zǒu, go straight), and you can already follow directions on the street. This guide covers the full toolkit: location patterns like 旁边 and 对面, the question 请问…怎么走, and why Chinese place names are full of compass points.
- Cardinals: 东 dōng (east), 南 nán (south), 西 xī (west), 北 běi (north) — set phrase order 东南西北.
- Compound directions flip English: "northeast" is 东北 (east-north), "southwest" is 西南 (west-south).
- Ask the way with 请问，…怎么走？(Qǐngwèn, … zěnme zǒu?) — "Excuse me, how do I get to …?"
- Locations use 在 + place + 的旁边 / 对面 / 附近 (next to / across from / near).
- "Turn left" is 左转 (zuǒ zhuǎn) everywhere; northern Mainland speech also says 左拐 (zuǒ guǎi).
What are the cardinal directions in Chinese?
| Chinese (simp. / trad.) | Pinyin | Meaning | Compound example |
|---|---|---|---|
| 东 / 東 | dōng | east | 东边 / 東邊 (dōngbian) — the east side |
| 南 | nán | south | 南方 (nánfāng) — the south (region) |
| 西 | xī | west | 西边 / 西邊 (xībian) — the west side |
| 北 | běi | north | 北方 (běifāng) — the north (region) |
| 东北 / 東北 | dōngběi | northeast | literally "east-north" |
| 东南 / 東南 | dōngnán | southeast | 东南亚 — Southeast Asia |
| 西北 | xīběi | northwest | literally "west-north" |
| 西南 | xīnán | southwest | literally "west-south" |
Note the compound order: Chinese says 东北 "east-north" where English says "northeast" — east and west come first. Suffix 边 / 邊 (bian, side) or 方 (fāng, region/direction) turns a bare cardinal into a usable noun: 东边 "the east side," 北方 "the North."
太阳从东边升起。／太陽從東邊升起。
Tàiyáng cóng dōngbian shēngqǐ.
The sun rises in the east.
Why are Chinese place names full of compass points?
Because the map is baked into the language. 北京 (Běijīng) is literally "northern capital" and 南京 (Nánjīng) "southern capital" — and Tokyo, 东京 / 東京 (Dōngjīng), is the "eastern capital." Province pairs work the same way: 河北 / 河南 (Héběi / Hénán) sit north and south of the Yellow River, 湖北 / 湖南 north and south of Lake Dongting, and 山东 / 山西 (Shāndōng / Shānxī) east and west of the Taihang Mountains. Learn four characters and half the map of China starts translating itself.
The compass itself carries the pattern: 指南针 / 指南針 (zhǐnánzhēn) is literally the "south-pointing needle," because Chinese tradition treats south, not north, as the reference direction — emperors' palaces and thrones traditionally faced south (坐北朝南, zuò běi cháo nán, "sit north, face south"), which is why the Forbidden City's main gates all open southward.
Left, right, and straight: the words for navigating
Both "turn" verbs are real: 左转 / 左轉 (zuǒ zhuǎn) is standard everywhere and the only form you'll hear in Taiwan; 左拐 (zuǒ guǎi) is everyday northern Mainland speech. Say 转 and understand both. 往 (wǎng, toward) glues direction words to motion: 往前走 "walk forward," 往北开 "drive north."
过马路，然后往左转。／過馬路，然後往左轉。
Guò mǎlù, ránhòu wǎng zuǒ zhuǎn.
Cross the road, then turn left.
Next to, across from, near: the 在…的旁边 patterns
To say where something is, Chinese uses 在 (zài, to be at) + landmark + a position word. The three you'll use daily are 旁边 / 旁邊 (pángbiān, beside), 对面 / 對面 (duìmiàn, across from), and 附近 (fùjìn, nearby).
银行在邮局的旁边。／銀行在郵局的旁邊。
Yínháng zài yóujú de pángbiān.
The bank is next to the post office.
药店在学校对面。／藥局在學校對面。
Yàodiàn zài xuéxiào duìmiàn.
The pharmacy is across from the school. (Mainland 药店, Taiwan 藥局 — same pattern.)
我家附近有一个公园。／我家附近有一個公園。
Wǒ jiā fùjìn yǒu yí ge gōngyuán.
There's a park near my house. (附近 + 有 = "there is … nearby.")
The 的 is optional in casual speech (邮局旁边 is fine), and 中间 / 中間 (zhōngjiān, between) plus 隔壁 (gébì, next door) round out the set. Notice the word order again: the landmark comes first, the position word last — "post office's side," not "beside the post office."
How do you ask for directions in Chinese?
The all-purpose question is 请问，X 怎么走？／請問，X 怎麼走？(Qǐngwèn, X zěnme zǒu?) — "Excuse me, how do I get to X?" 请问 softens any question to a stranger; 怎么走 literally asks "how to walk."
请问，地铁站怎么走？／請問，捷運站怎麼走？
Qǐngwèn, dìtiě zhàn zěnme zǒu? / Qǐngwèn, jiéyùn zhàn zěnme zǒu?
Excuse me, how do I get to the metro station? (地铁 on the Mainland, 捷運 in Taiwan — the Literate Chinese app swaps these automatically by region setting.)
Understanding the answer is the harder half. Most replies are built from a small set of chunks — train your ear on these and street directions stop being scary:
| Chunk (simp. / trad.) | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 一直走 | yìzhí zǒu | keep going straight |
| 到红绿灯 / 到紅綠燈 | dào hónglǜdēng | at the traffic light |
| 在十字路口 | zài shízì lùkǒu | at the intersection |
| 往右转 / 往右轉 | wǎng yòu zhuǎn | turn right |
| 过马路 / 過馬路 | guò mǎlù | cross the road |
| 在你的左手边 / 左手邊 | zài nǐ de zuǒshǒu biān | on your left-hand side |
| 离这里不远 / 離這裡不遠 | lí zhèlǐ bù yuǎn | not far from here |
Inside, outside, on, under: the 里 / 外 / 上 / 下 localizers
Chinese has no prepositions like "in" or "on" — instead, a localizer follows the noun: 家里 / 家裡 (jiā li, at home, literally "home-inside"), 桌子上 (zhuōzi shàng, on the table). The four core localizers each have a full form with 面 (miàn, side):
猫在桌子下面。／貓在桌子下面。
Māo zài zhuōzi xiàmiàn.
The cat is under the table. (Noun first, localizer after — "table's underside.")
Script note: the traditional form of 里 is 裡 (Taiwan's standard; you'll also see the variant 裏 in older printing). Simplified merged both into 里.
Do people really navigate by compass directions?
In northern Mainland cities, often yes. Beijing's streets run on a famous north–south grid, and locals genuinely give directions like 往北走，到路口往东拐 ("go north, at the junction turn east") — bus announcements and addresses use cardinals too. In Taiwan and much of southern China, everyday directions lean on left/right and landmarks instead, and a "go north on this street" answer would get you a puzzled look in most of Taipei. Neither habit is more "correct"; they're just different conventions — worth knowing before you ask a Beijinger for directions and get a compass bearing. If you want to see direction words at work in connected text rather than a list, the free stories Finding a Way and Morning Subway both lean on this exact vocabulary — that kind of in-context repetition is what Chinese reading practice is for.
Frequently asked questions
Why do Chinese speakers say 东南西北 instead of "north, south, east, west"?
东南西北 (dōng nán xī běi) is simply the fixed recitation order in Chinese, the way English fixes "north, south, east, west." It also follows the sun's arc — east to south to west — with north last. The order matters in set phrases and in the classic small-talk idiom 聊得东南西北 ("chat about everything under the sun").
What's the difference between 旁边 and 附近?
旁边 / 旁邊 (pángbiān) means immediately beside — touching distance, "next to." 附近 (fùjìn) means in the general vicinity — a few minutes' walk. The bank 在邮局旁边 shares a wall with the post office; the bank 在邮局附近 is somewhere on the same few blocks.
Is it 左拐 or 左转?
Both mean "turn left." 左转 / 左轉 (zuǒ zhuǎn) is standard Mandarin, used everywhere and the normal form in Taiwan. 左拐 (zuǒ guǎi) is colloquial and typical of northern Mainland speech. Use 转 yourself and recognize 拐 when you hear it.
What does 北京 literally mean?
"Northern capital": 北 (běi, north) + 京 (jīng, capital). Its counterpart 南京 is the "southern capital," and the same 京 appears in 东京 / 東京 — Tokyo, the "eastern capital." Many Chinese place names decode this way once you know the four cardinal characters.
How do I say "Where is the bathroom?"
洗手间在哪里？／洗手間在哪裡？(Xǐshǒujiān zài nǎlǐ?) uses the other key location question: place + 在哪里 "is where?" Use 在哪里 (or Taiwan-flavored 在哪裡/在哪兒 variants) when you want a location, and 怎么走 when you want the route.
