Asking for 方向 (fang1xiang4) Directions

If you happen to be in China and you ask someone on the street for directions, it is a good idea to listen for these key words in their answer:

北 • Bei3 • North
南 • Nan2 • South
東 • dong1 • East
西 • xi1 • West

東南 • dong1nan2 • Southeast
西南 • xi1nan2 • Southwest
東北 • dong1bei3 • Northeast
西北 • xi1bei3 • Northwest

左 • zuo3 • Left
右 • you4 • Right
左邊 • zou3bian5 • Left Side
右邊 • you4bian5 • Right Side

在(…)的左邊 • zai4 (…) de5 zou3bian5 • Is on the left of (…)
在(…)的右邊 • zai4 (…) de5 you4bian5 • Is on the right of (…)

后 • hou4 • Back
前 • qian2 • Front
對面 • dui4mian4 • across from; directly opposite
前面 • qian2mian5 • in front (of)
后面 • hou4mian5 • in back (of)

遠 • yuan3 • far
近 • jin4 • near; close
近於 • jin4yu2 • close to; near to
向 • xiang4 • towards
向前 • xiang4qian2 • foward
向后 • xiang4hou4 • backward

Chinese people seem to be very spatial oriented so it might be wise to take a compass along!

Remember you can practice your Chinese Language Pronunciation with Pinyin Talker, the online tool