西

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west

Sound it out + =

Formation & memory

Break the character into parts you already know.

Pictograph (象形字)

A bird settling into its nest, representing sunset; compare 東

Components 兀囗

west · Heisig RSH #1253

四 four + 一 one + human legs + 口 mouth — as a component also called: Old West

Keyword method from Heisig's Remembering Simplified Hanzi.

The most common words first — learning a character in context makes it stick.

Word	Pinyin	Meaning
东西	dōng xī	east and west
东西	dōng xi	thing; stuff; person; CL:個\|个[ge4],件[jian4]
西边	xī biān	west; west side; western part; to the west of
山西大学	Shān xī Dà xué	Shanxi University
大西国	Dà xī guó	Atlantis
西山区	Xī shān Qū	Xishan, a district of Kunming City 昆明市[Kun1 ming2 Shi4], Yunnan
中西区	Zhōng Xī qū	Central and Western district of Hong Kong
西市区	Xī shì Qū	Xishi, a district of Yingkou City 營口市\|营口市[Ying2 kou3 Shi4], Liaoning
西子	Xī zǐ	another name for Xishi 西施[Xi1 shi1]
大西	Dà xī	Ōnishi (Japanese surname)
西大	Xī dà	(Internet slang) the United States (contrasted with China 東大\|东大[Dong1 da4]); (informal) ab…
西区	Xī Qū	Xi District or Xiqu, a district of Panzhihua City 攀枝花市[Pan1 zhi1 hua1 Shi4], Sichuan
山西	Shān xī	see 山西省[Shan1 xi1 Sheng3]
西山	Xī shān	see 西山區\|西山区[Xi1 shan1 Qu1]
西市	Xī shì	see 西市區\|西市区[Xi1 shi4 Qu1]
中西	Zhōng Xī	China and the West; Chinese-Western
西学	Xī xué	Western learning (intellectual movement in the late Qing); also called 洋務運動\|洋务运动
西安区	Xī ān Qū	Xi'an, a district of Mudanjiang City 牡丹江市[Mu3 dan1 jiang1 Shi4], Heilongjiang; Xi'an, a di…
西安市	Xī ān Shì	Xi'an, sub-provincial city and capital of Shaanxi Province 陝西省\|陕西省[Shan3 xi1 Sheng3]
西天	Xī tiān	the Western Paradise (Buddhism)

These characters use 西 as their sound component — compare how they read.

Character	Pinyin	Meaning
西 sound part	xī	west, western, westward
晒	shài	to dry in the sun; to expose to the sun
栖	qī	perch, roost, to stay
洒	sǎ	to pour, to spill; to scatter, to shed; to wipe away
牺	xī	to sacrifice, to give up, to die for a cause
茜	qiàn	reed, madder; Rubia cordifolia
溧	lì	a river in Anhui and Jiangsu provinces
哂	shěn	to smile; to laugh at; to sneer
恓	xī	vexed
硒	xī	selenium
舾	xī	equipment onboard a ship
垔	yīn	to restrain; to dam a stream and change its direction; a mound
粞	xī	ground rice; to thresh rice