北部 běibù northern part
How to remember 北部: 北 north + 部 section = northern part.
Characters
How it is used
- Names the northern part of a larger place, always attached to that place: 中国北部 (Zhōngguó běibù) - northern China.
- Compare 北方 běifāng, the broader, more abstract word for "the north" as a region, and 北边 běibian, which gives relative direction from wherever the speaker is standing.
- Common in geography and weather reports rather than everyday chat.