Mandarin Directions I – 东南西北 vs North, South, East, West in Chinese

You learn about Mandarin Directions 东南西北 Dōngnán xīběi on a geographic position – North, South, East, West in Chinese and its inter-cardinal points – North-West, South-West, North-East and South-West. The next section is a little introduction to consult a geomancer (aka Feng Shui) in Asia, namely Singapore of where I come. You can scroll down the page if you have no interest to read about Feng Shui.

Fengshui Influence in Chinese Belief

Many Chinese people like to know the directions – North, South, East, West when buying a house, especially in Singapore. As Singapore is humid and hot throughout the year with a temperature between 28° – 35°C, people avoid buying a unit with windows directly facing the sun facing the west for fear of getting too much heat in the house.

For some other countries that I know of such as China, Taiwan and Hong Kong, consulting the Feng Shui before buying a house is a big deal. They believe a well-positioned house direction can bring luck, wealth and prosperity in their lives, improving their career and relationship.

In the Western world, people do not care about such stuff due to lack of information or feel that Fengshui is not scientifically proven. Quite a few that I know of are interested to know about how the geomancy works and believes in the power of a good Fengshui.

Today, we are not going to discuss geomancy and its relevancy but on the Chinese cardinal directions – North, South, East, West aka 东南西北 in Mandarin.

But, wait a minute…

Why 东南西北 East, South, West, North in Chinese?

In the Chinese language, we do not call the directions literally as North, South, East, West but East, South, West, North which is 东南西北 Dōngnán xīběi. Even the Chinese tile-based game, Mahjong, uses the four directions 东南西北 as one of its rules.

The four diagonal directions (Inter-cardinal or Ordinal) are North-East (NE), South-East (SE), South-West (SW), and North-West (NW). The table below will give you the exact directions in Chinese.

The translation of the inter-cardinal points in English is the opposite direction in Mandarin. Eg. North-East in English would read as East-North 东北 Dōngběi in Chinese and South-East in English would be East-South 东南 Dōngnán. Very confusing. I know.

Table of North, South, East, West in Chinese Directions and Their Inter-Cardinal Positions

20 Vocabulary Relating to Mandarin Directions – North, South East, West in Chinese

Questions and Answers on Geographic Position

Below are 5 sets of questions and answers to ask about the geographic location of a country, city or place. One common term relating to directions in Chinese is 位于 Wèiyú which means “located” or “situated”.

15 Vocabulary for Eastern, Western Culture and Continental Location

The Chinese terms of adjectives and nouns describe the people, culture and the location name of the continent.

Sentence Examples – Culture and Location

The sentences examples are vocabulary that you have learnt above.

Next: Mandarin Directions Part II

Hope you enjoy the lesson today understanding more on North, South, East, West in Chinese. Learn the next two parts of Mandarin Directions: –

• Part II – How to Ask Questions for Directions in Chinese? 
• Part III – How to Give Directions in Chinese? with words like left, right, straight, ahead, behind etc.

How to Ask for Directions in Chinese?

Asking for Directions in Chinese on the street or while travelling is one of the best ways to learn and speak Mandarin. Even if you have an excellent sense of direction, you can pretend not to know the way and ask people on the street.

The other advantage is even if you speak incorrectly or the other party does not understand what you are trying to ask, you should not feel embarrassed as they do not know you. Try asking for directions in Chinese the next time. See if someone understands your question and if you get their instructions right.

The most challenging part is always receiving the answer as the reply can be lengthy if the direction is complicated. So, the best way to practice your listening is to select a location that you know well in advance. Therefore, if you only understand half of what the other party says, you can make out of the sentence more easily since you already know the way by heart.

When I learned other foreign languages – French and Dutch, many people do not grasp my pronunciation at first as I did not utter them as clearly as I should. When they finally understood what I asked, I could not comprehend their explanation due to a limitation in vocabulary.

Due to my foreign language journey, I know that learning more related phrases is necessary to anticipate what the other person is going to ask you.

20 Chinese Direction Words

There is another post written separately on Giving Directions in Chinese providing a thorough list of more than 60 related Chinese phrases. The reason for splitting up the subject is to provide abundant illustrations so that you have a better grasp on the topic in detail.

Asking for Directions in Chinese

Here are some examples of asking for directions in Chinese. Of course, there is more than one way to ask for directions in Mandarin. Hence, I am giving you as many examples as possible so you can practice and understand the questions better when someone asks for directions.

As a polite form of asking someone you do not know, it is always courteous to start the sentence with:-

Excuse me, … 不好意思，。。。Bù hǎoyìsi, …

• May I ask … 请问 。。。 Qǐngwèn …
• Please tell me … 请你告诉我。。。 Qǐng nǐ gàosù wǒ …

It is not necessary to address the person as Mr 先生 Xiānshēng or Miss 小姐 Xiǎojiě though it is always nice to do so.

Asking for Directions in Chinese is not difficult, right? That is the end of the lesson. Go on and read the next article on Giving Directions which is more difficult than asking for directions in Chinese.

You may also like to read the first part of Mandarin Directions I – How to Say “North, South, East, West” in Chinese? The lesson also contains useful Chinese phrases relating to geographical directions.

How to Give Directions in Chinese?

Giving directions in Chinese is one of the more difficult subjects for beginners as the possibilities are endless. You cannot anticipate the reply on how to go to a place if you are the one asking for directions. Therefore, you need to acquire a lot of vocabulary relating to directions.

There are also a lot of terms to learn about giving directions in Chinese which 100 common phrases are provided below. Quite a read. I have given an introduction and tips as to why asking, receiving and giving directions in Chinese is one of the great ways to practice listening and speaking Mandarin.

The sentences below on giving directions in Chinese will not have any questions on it since I have covered them in the article on How to Ask for Directions in Chinese. I would recommend you to go through the post first for directional questions and 20 Chinese Direction Words for vocabulary.

Now, I want to focus on giving you more examples and Chinese phrases so that you can receive or give directions with more vocabulary.

Recommended Reading: Geographic Position: How to Say North, South, East, West and Their Inter-Cardinal Points in Chinese?

Giving Directions in Chinese:
General Direction

Giving Directions in Chinese:
Making a Turn

Giving Directions in Chinese:
On the Street

Giving Directions in Chinese:
Traffic Infrastructure

Giving Directions in Chinese:
Relative Distance

Giving Directions in Chinese:
Comparing Distance

Giving Directions in Chinese:
Direction Guide

Giving Directions in Chinese:
Inside a Building

Sorry, I Do Not Know How to Go to This Place

When someone asks you for directions which you do know the way or find it too complicated to explain in Chinese, here are some sentences that you can tell the other party. Well, don’t use it unless it is your last resort.

Chinese Arithmetic: Plus, Minus, Times, Divide (Add, Subtract, Multiply, Divide)

This article on Chinese Math – Add, Subtract, Multiply and Divide is a more advanced level of using the Chinese Numbers. You will learn some Simple Math calculation in Mandarin for daily use. On top of that, there are a couple of more examples of how you can use the Chinese math terms as an additional syntax to express other things non-related to figures. You can first test your knowledge on the numbers listening test here.

Vocabulary: Addition, Subtraction, Multiplication, Division

Addition, subtraction, multiplication and division are nouns and denote the methods of calculation for add, subtract, multiply and divide.

Vocabulary: Add / Plus, Subtract / Minus, Multiply, Divide, Equal

There are two ways to say “equal” in Chinese Math – 等于 Děngyú and 得 Dé.

What is the Sum of the Calculation Below?

How to “Add or Plus” in Chinese?

Listen to the pronunciation of the digit 2. You must be aware that there are two ways to say two in Chinese when the position of 2 shifts its place from tens to hundreds and so on.

Mandarin Sentences: Add 加 Jiā

You can also read more sentences of the Chinese Verb – Add in another separate post. There is one motivating Chinese slang “Add Oil 加油 Jiāyóu” which means “Come on! Try Harder!” that you ought to know. Have a read!

How to “Subtract or Minus” in Chinese?

Mandarin Sentences: Reduce 减 Jiǎn

减 Jiǎn in combination with another verb, noun or adjective in a sentence means to reduce something, be it a noun or lighten the impact of actions.

How to “Times or Multiply” in Chinese?

Mandarin Sentences: Others 乘 Chéng

The word 乘 Chéng in Chinese has no other meanings related to mathematical sense unlike 加 Jiā and 减 Jiǎn (add and subtract) which can form sentences correlating to adding or reducing something. Nonetheless, I’ll still show you examples of 乘 Chéng.

*The pronunciation of “乘机” should be read as “chèng jī” instead of the default sound “乘 chéng”. This term is one exception of tone change compared to the rest of the sentences above with 乘 chéng.

How to “Divide” in Chinese?

It is tricky to use the Chinese word 除 Chú or 除以 Chú yǐ to refer as divide since both can be used. BUT, be careful of how you say it as the calculation method that you mean may not be what the Chinese interpreted.

In a typical scenario below, 21 divides by 7, we use 除以 Chú yǐ to say “divide by”. It is easy for English speakers to resonate with the a) Chinese phrase below because the position of the numbers is the same as the English phrase.

The other alternative to say b) 21 ÷ 7 = 3 where you reverse the number between 21 and 7, you use 除 Chú instead of 除以 Chú yǐ. It is somewhat confusing for many people whether to use 除 or 除以 to express a division in the right way.

I would think that it is easier for English speakers to learn the Chinese Phrase a) because it is more logical and faster for the brain to react when translating from English to Chinese. Anyway, use whichever sentence that is easier for you to remember.

Mandarin Sentences: Preposition, Remove 除 Chú

The word 除 Chú means to remove or get rid of something. On the other hand, it can be used as a preposition if combined with other Chinese words.

Vocabulary: Mathematics and Arithmetic

Mandarin Sentences: Mathematics 数学 Shùxué

Other than using 数学 Shùxué as a noun for Mathematics, we can use it as an adjective too. We can say that someone (He) has a mathematical mind. 他有一个数学头脑。Tā yǒu yīgè shùxué tóunǎo.

Mandarin Sentences: Arithmetic 算数 Suànshù

算数 Suànshù does not only mean arithmetic about counting and calculation. When using this word in a Chinese sentence, it can also mean the validity and accountability of the things being said verbally like the second example below.

We move on to learn how to say the date starting with Weeks of the Day.

What are Chinese Ordinal Numbers?

Chinese Ordinal Numbers are defining number positions in a series such as first, second, third and so on. Cardinal numbers are 1, 2, 3, 10, 100 etc. You can also test your listening comprehension on the Chinese numerals.

Simple Formula for Number Position in Chinese with 第 | Dì

We always use the Chinese word 第 | Dì, followed by a Cardinal Number (1, 2, 3 …), then a Measure Word with a noun for forming Chinese Ordinal Numbers as per the formula below.

20 Chinese Ordinal Numbers with 第 | Dì to Sweep Your Feet

Look at the table below. To help you understand better and to learn more Chinese measure words and nouns with audio at the same time, the table of 20 Chinese Ordinal Numbers will use the formula stated above.

Removing Measure Word from Chinese Ordinal Numbers

Of course, there are always exceptions to the grammar rule where the measure word/classifier are omitted out in the Chinese Ordinal Numbers.

1. When the Chinese Ordinal Numbers form part of the name of an establishment or the designation of a person, the measure word is dropped. Examples: First Bank (第一银行), First Lady (第一夫人).

2. When the Chinese Ordinal Numbers appear in a news headline, or a brief text not amounting to a complete Chinese sentence, the measure word may be excluded too.

3. In combination with some nouns relating to dates such as “the first year 第一年 Dì yī nián” and “the first day 第一天 Dì yī tiān”, there is no classifier. However, to describe the first month, there is always a classifier – 第一个月 Dì yī gè yuè.

Removing Substantive Noun from Chinese Ordinal Numbers

There are instances where the substantive noun can be dropped and left with only 第 Dì + Number + Measure Word. If the previous sentence has already mentioned the term, it is not necessary to repeat it again.

One example below which is similar to the English sentence. Who 谁 Shuí / Shéi is an Interrogative Pronoun here and refers to a person and can never be something else. Likewise in the Chinese language, the same logic applies so we can drop the noun (person).

Essay with Chinese Ordinal Numbers

The Chinese essay below uses several Chinese Ordinal Numbers sentences to give you an idea of how to deploy 第 Dì in Mandarin. We drop some measure words and nouns, observing the grammar rules discussed above.

The story mentioned two children孩子 Háizi. The Chinese term is removed in the second and third sentences since the first one had already stated it. Thus, the following sentences do not have to mention them again.

Number Position in Chinese – First, Second, Third

The above demonstrates a general use of the number position. Now, I would like to highlight the first three position – first, second, third in Chinese during a competition. Whenever we mention a position in Chinese gained during a contest, we use the measure word/classifier 名 Míng.

Competition 比赛 Bǐsài + In/During 中 Zhōng

The Chinese word 中 Zhōng is frequently used after the word – Competition 比赛 Bǐsài. 中 Zhōng means “middle”, “in the midst of something” or the preposition “in/during”.

Chinese Verbs Relating to Competition

There are a few Chinese verbs that can go with obtaining or winning a position. The choices stated below is almost interchangeable in the above sentence constructions.

You can win a competition but awkward to use ‘Win 赢得 Yíngdé’ when it comes to an examination. Therefore, it is not wise to say in Chinese “我在华文考试中赢得了第一名 | I win first in the Chinese exam” because it sounds exaggerating and boastful as an exam is not a competition.

How to Say “Champion, 1st and 2nd Runner-Up” in Chinese?

Especially In a large-scaled contest such as beauty pageants and singing competitions, the word “Champion” is used, followed by the first and second runner-up to denote second and third place respectively.

Next Lesson

Learn how to do simple Math in Chinese with add, subtract, multiply and divide (加减乘除). Other than that, you will also learn how to use the Chinese words above and apply them in your daily life.

Counting in Chinese Numbers

Many people want to know the counting in Chinese numbers 1 – 10, but I will provide you with a list of Chinese numerals from 1 – 100 and beyond for the cardinal numbers. The audio will play every 10 numbers so you can learn and hear the pronunciation in the Chinese number system. The other group of numbers are the Chinese Ordinal Numbers which define the number position as first, second, third and so on.

Counting in Chinese is easy. It is in the exact sequence of how you would count English numbers. For example, 31 in Chinese will read as “Thirty + One”, like saying the digit in English. Do you know how to say your age with the Chinese numbers then?

How to Say “Zero” in Chinese?

Zero in Chinese is called 零 Líng. Other than saying Zero in Chinese, we can also use it to express temperature at minus degree.

• Minus 10° 零下十度 Língxià shí dù
• Minus 20° Celcius 摄氏零下二十度 Shèshì língxià èrshí dù

Chinese Numbers 1 – 100

Do note that the Chinese number one 1 is frequently read as 幺 Yāo instead of 一 Yī. The emergency number in China 110 is 幺幺零 Yāo yāo líng. 911 incident in the USA is 九幺幺事件 Jiǔ yāo yāo shìjiàn or 九一一事件 Jiǔyīyī shìjiàn.

The pronunciation of 一 Yī is close to the sound of 七 Qī. 幺Yāo is sometimes preferred when talking on the phone to distinguish between the sound of the two Chinese digits.

1 – 10 in Chinese

11 – 20

21 – 30

31 – 40

41 – 50

51 – 60

61 – 70

71 – 80

81 – 90

91 – 100

Mandarin Numbers Beyond 100

Most lists provide Mandarin Numbers from 1 – 100 only. I have added two more segments of Chinese numerals from 101 to 120 as a highlight to pronounce these Mandarin numbers. You have to add a 零 Líng after 100 when you pronounce this set of numbers from 101 – 109. An example of 101 would be 一百零一 Yībǎi líng yī.

Chinese Number 110 is said to be 一百一十 Yībǎi yīshí in a more ‘accurate sense’. However, do note that it is also common to hear 一百十 Yībǎi shí instead of 一百一十 and 111 as 一百十一 Yībǎi shíyī or 一百一十一 Yībǎi yīshí yī (audio guide below).

There were some discussions online stating that 一百十 and 一百十一 were not the right way to say the Chinese numbers. However, in one of the four classical Chinese novels in China written in the middle of the 18th century, “Dream of the Red Chamber《红楼梦》”, the Table of Contents at the bottom page stated Chapter 110 as 一百十 Yībǎi shí and 111 as 一百十一 Yībǎi shíyī.

Don’t tell me that the Chinese famous historical novel has got their numbers wrong. How the Chinese numerals are used may not be the same in different parts of China and their dialect influence on it. China is such a big country and not everybody will use the standard words learned.

101 – 110

111 – 120

121 – 200

How to Say “2 and 200” in Chinese?

Chinese Numbers Pronunciation – Difference Between Two and Two Hundred: 二 Er vs 两 Liang

If you have paid attention to the audio on the Chinese pronunciation for 200, you might notice that it is read as 两百 Liǎng bǎi instead of 二百 Èr bǎi.

Read and listen to the Chinese Numbers Pinyin pronunciation below.

202 – 292

How to Say “Thousand, Million and Billion” in Chinese?

It is worth noting that the Chinese number 2 / Two from the numbers below is read as 两 liǎng instead of二 Èr. We will also use it for practising large Mandarin numbers instead of the typical “1 / One 一 Yì”. In this way, you can understand how二 and 两 works and also read large numbers like thousand, million and billion.

• 200
• 2,000
• 20,000
• 2,000,000

Some exceptions: 200,000 (Two Hundred Thousand) and Two Billion (nine zero) which we use 二 Èr and not 两 because they both contain the Chinese number 20 二十 Èrshí.

How to Say “Year” in Chinese Numbers?

When you say Year 年 Nián in Mandarin, it is better to read all four Chinese numbers as an individual digit. Year 2018 二零一八年 Èr líng yībā nián and not 两千零一十八年 Liǎng qiān líng yīshíbā nián.

On the other hand, there are also a handful of people who prefer to say the years from 2000 onwards as 两千 xxx 年 Liǎng qiān xxx nián colloquially. 

In conclusion, you will never go wrong if you say the number separately in years especially those starting with ‘1xxx 年’.

How to Say “Millionaire and Billionaire” in Chinese?

Ever dream of becoming a millionaire?

How to Say “Number-Related” Chinese Words?

We will wrap up the last part of the article with 5 Chinese sentences related to the word on numbers. There are a few ways in which you can express them in Chinese sentences. I have underlined the related words used.

Chinese Numbers Practice

Test your listening skill on Chinese Numbers Exercise with audio! We use numbers so often that they have become an integrated part of our life especially when we handle money every day. Get ready for a pen and paper to write down the numbers that you hear.

Chinese Number Practice Test

How good are your Chinese numbers now? Get ready a pen and paper to test your knowledge with Chinese ordinal numbers listening exercises quiz.

Choose from 2 to 5 digits. One set of audio consists of 5 or 10 Mandarin numbers practice. There are a total of 50 audio clips to test your knowledge of the ordinal number. For the answers, scroll below and revealed them in tabs.

If you do not score too well on the first attempt, read up and practice your listening skill from Counting in Chinese Numbers from 1 to 100 and beyond. The most tricky part is identifying the number two in Chinese and how to say them correctly as there are two ways to pronounce it.

Note: If the first digit of the numbers is not heard or being cut-off abruptly, please replay the audio clips to detect the first digit of the Chinese numbers test again.

Chinese Number Practice: Mandarin Numbers in Tens and Single Digit

Chinese Numbers Practice: Hundreds

Chinese Number Test: Thousands

Chinese Numbers Test: Tens of Thousands

Chinese Numbers Quiz: All Above

Answers: Practice Chinese Numbers Exercise

How is your first attempt? If you like the Chinese number practice audio test, do share the page with others so they can try and have a test as well!

In the next lesson, how do we use the Chinese Ordinal Numbers position to say first, second, third in placement with the Chinese word 第 Dì? I’ll give you more than three examples, I promise!

How to Say Date in Chinese – Year, Month, Day in Mandarin?

How to say Date in Chinese? To mention Chinese Date – Year, Month, Day, you must be familiar with the numbers in Chinese from 1 to 31 to say out the day of the month and also to read the year from 2000 onwards correctly.

How to Say Calendar in Chinese?

There are several terms to the word Calendar in Mandarin. Just the Chinese lunar calendar alone has already several names. However, I would not be emphasising them but only the terms for the Solar or Gregorian Calendar which most of us are familiar with in our daily life.

How to Say Year in Chinese?

Year in Chinese is 年 Nián. We read the individual Chinese digits for Year in Chinese and not how you would say the cardinal number 1815 as

The exception is the year 2000 (and onwards) which we sometimes say it as a whole number (Year Two Thousand – see below) instead of individual number 二零零零年 Èr líng líng líng nián. If you want to say the Year in Chinese more correctly, cite the four digits separately and you will never go wrong.

How to Say Chinese Months?

How to say Month in Chinese? Month in Mandarin is 月 Yuè. Saying the twelve Chinese Months is very easy. Place the Chinese number 1 to 12 first, followed by the word Chinese month 月 Yuè.

 How to Say Day in Chinese?

There are two ways to say Day in Chinese – 号 Hào and 日 Rì. Both refer to the day of the month. Usually, we use 号 Hào when we talk about the Day in Mandarin and 日 R when we write the Day in Chinese. You can use either to replace each other in speaking and writing the Day in Chinese. For illustration and listening, only the first 15 days is provided. You can also check out Chinese numeral 11 – 20 and 21 – 30 in a separate post.

Writing Dates in Chinese

Different Period of the Year and Month in Chinese

We also have some terms to say the different period of the year and Chinese months below. As for telling other timelines of days and weeks such as yesterday, today, tomorrow and this week, last week in Mandarin and so on, read How to Say 7 Days of the Week.

• Last Year, This Year, Next Year in Chinese

• Last Month, This Month, Last Month in Chinese

• Beginning, Mid, End of the Month / Year in Chinese