西边
xī biān · west side; to the west of
我家在学校西边。
My home is west of the school.
Chinese character · HSK 1
西 (xī) — “west”
Originally a pictogram of a bird's nest. Since birds return to their nests at dusk when the sun sets, the character was borrowed to mean 'West'.
Memory cue
At sunset in the West, the bird returns to its square nest under the branch.
Video mnemonic
Watch 西 in motion
See the visual story unfold, then connect it to the words and sentences below.
Common ways to use 西
西 means “west” in direction words, extends to “Western” in 西餐, and has a neutral-tone, lexicalized use in 东西.
西方
xī fāng · the west; the western direction
太阳在西方落下。
The sun sets in the west.
西北
xī běi · northwest
西北风很冷。
The northwesterly wind is very cold.
西餐
xī cān · Western-style food
这家饭店只做西餐。
This restaurant serves only Western food.
Usage note: Here 西 refers broadly to Western cultures rather than simply a compass direction.
东西
dōng xi · thing; stuff
这个东西很便宜。
This thing is very inexpensive.
Usage note: When 东西 means “thing” or “stuff,” 西 is unstressed and pronounced with a neutral tone. Full-tone dōng xī literally means “east and west.”
Inside the character
- 西 (west) — meaning component. A bird returning to nest at sunset — often marks the west or appears as a sound piece.
Where 西 comes from
In oracle bone script, 西 was a drawing of a woven bird's nest. Because birds instinctively return to roost at sunset, the ancient Chinese used the nest symbol to represent the direction of the setting sun: West.
Learn 西 the visual way. InkSeal pairs every HSK 1–6
character with an illustration like this one, Common-use words and sentences,
component breakdowns, etymology, and recall-first review. The first 100
characters are free.
More characters: 针 (zhēn, needle) · 问 (wèn, to ask) · 麦 (mài, wheat) — or browse the full character library.