向
towards; to face; to turn towards; direction; to support; to side with; shortly before; formerly; always; all along; (suffix) suitable for ...; oriented to ...
6 strokes
Dict coverage rank #522 U+5411
How 向 is formed
How to remember it
orientation · Heisig RSH #188
a drop of + helmet + 口 mouth
Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.
Characters built with 向 as their sound component
These characters all use 向 (xiàng) as their phonetic component — compare how they read:
| Character | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 向 sound component | xiàng | towards; direction, trend |
| 响 | xiǎng | to make noise, to make sound; sound |
| 晌 | shǎng | noon, midday; moment |
| 饷 | xiǎng | rations and pay for soldiers |
| 垧 | shǎng | unit of area |
Words containing 向
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 中向性格 | zhōng xiàng xìng gé | ambiversion; ambiverted |
| 向心力 | xiàng xīn lì | centripetal force; (fig.) cohering force; cohesion; team spirit |
| 成人向 | chéng rén xiàng | suitable for adults |
| 女生外向 | nǚ shēng wài xiàng | a woman is born to leave her family (idiom); a woman's heart is with her husband |
| 主法向量 | zhǔ fǎ xiàng liàng | principal normal vector (to a space curve) |
| 人心所向 | rén xīn suǒ xiàng | that which is yearned for by the public |
| 法向力 | fǎ xiàng lì | normal force (physics) |
| 向阳区 | Xiàng yáng Qū | Xiangyang, a district of Jiamusi City 佳木斯市[Jia1 mu4 si1 Shi4], Heilongjiang; Xiangyang, a … |
| 单向电流 | dān xiàng diàn liú | (elec.) unidirectional current; DC; also written 直流[zhi2 liu2] |
| 方向性 | fāng xiàng xìng | directionality (molecular biology) |
| 向阳花 | xiàng yáng huā | sunflower |
| 前一向 | qián yī xiàng | lately; in the recent past |
| 头向前 | tóu xiàng qián | headlong |
| 好好学习，天天向上 | hǎo hǎo xué xí , tiān tiān xiàng shàng | study hard and every day you will improve (idiom) |
| 解理方向 | jiě lǐ fāng xiàng | direction of cleavage (e.g. of slate) |
| 重定向 | chóng dìng xiàng | to redirect |
| 自底向上 | zì dǐ xiàng shàng | bottom-up |
| 正向力 | zhèng xiàng lì | normal force (physics) |
| 明知山有虎，偏向虎山行 | míng zhī shān yǒu hǔ , piān xiàng hǔ shān xíng | lit. to willfully go towards the mountain although knowing that it has tigers (idiom); fig… |
| 法向量 | fǎ xiàng liàng | (math.) normal vector |