方 fāng direction
direction; square; side
How it came to be
Nobody agrees. The old dictionary reads it as two boats tied side by side; the oldest carvings look more like a plough with a crossbar. Both set a line to follow.
How it is used
- "Square; direction; side" - the direction sense drives 方向 (fāngxiàng) direction, 北方 (běifāng) the north, 地方 (dìfang, neutral tone) place.
- 方法 (fāngfǎ) method vs 办法 (bànfǎ): 方法 is a systematic way/technique, 办法 is a practical solution to a specific problem (没办法 méi bànfǎ nothing to be done).
- 方便 (fāngbiàn) means convenient - 很方便 (hěn fāngbiàn) very handy; also a polite euphemism for using the restroom.
Characters built with 方
Words with 方
- 方法fāngfǎmethodHSK 3
- 方向fāngxiàngdirectionHSK 3
- 地方dìfangplaceHSK 3
- 方便fāngbiànconvenientHSK 3
- 北方běifāngnorthHSK 3
- 东方dōngfāngeastHSK 3
- 南方nánfāngsouthHSK 3
- 方便面fāngbiànmiàninstant noodlesHSK 3
- 西方xīfāngthe WestHSK 3
- 方面fāngmiànaspectHSK 4
- 前方qiánfāngaheadHSK 4
- 对方duìfāngthe other personHSK 4
- 方式fāngshìwayHSK 4
- 双方shuāngfāngbilateralHSK 5
- 方案fāng’ànplanHSK 5
- 大方dàfanggenerousHSK 6
- 官方guānfānggovernmentHSK 6
- 平方píngfāngsquareHSK 6
- 平方米píngfāngmǐsquare meterHSK 6
- 方位fāngwèidirectionHSK 6
- 方方面面fāngfāngmiànmiànall sidesHSK 6
- 方言fāngyándialectHSK 6
- 比方bǐfanganalogyHSK 6
- 远方yuǎnfāngfar awayHSK 6
- 地方dìfāngregionHSK 6
- 全方位quánfāngwèiall aroundHSK 7
- 千方百计qiānfāng-bǎijìliterally thousand ways, a hundred plansHSK 7
- 单方面dānfāngmiànunilateralHSK 7
- 四方sìfāngfour-wayHSK 7
- 四面八方sìmiàn-bāfāngall directionsHSK 7
- 处方chǔfāngmedical prescriptionHSK 7
- 女方nǚfāngthe bride's side (of a wedding)HSK 7
- 方向盘fāngxiàngpánsteering wheelHSK 7
- 方针fāngzhēnpolicyHSK 7
- 男方nánfāngthe bridegroom's sideHSK 7
- 药方yàofāngprescriptionHSK 7
- 想方设法xiǎngfāng-shèfǎto think up every possible method (idiom)HSK 8
- 方圆fāngyuánperimeterHSK 8
- 秘方mìfāngsecret recipeHSK 9
- 立方lìfāngcube (maths)HSK 9
Example sentences
- 客厅里有一张方桌。 Kètīng lǐ yǒu yī zhāng fāngzhuō.There's a square table in the living room.
- 北方在下雪。 Běifāng zài xiàxuě.It's snowing in the north.
- 我们来自东方。 Wǒmen lái zì dōngfāng.We're from the East.
- 双方开始了对话。 Shuāngfāng kāishǐle duìhuà.The two sides started a conversation.