西北 xī běi
“northwest”
place word, place name, locality word2021 list level 2
新HSK等级2025 HSK 3.0 syllabus level
西北 appears in the November 2025 exam syllabus in the following numbered entry. Levels refer to the listed reading and use, not every meaning.
- Entry 881: 西北 xīběi — Level 3; official annotation 3 (名). PDF page 102
Separate from the HSK 2.0 and 2021 list labels above. Compare the three lists.
用法How to use 西北
As a direction, 西北 (xīběi) means 'northwest' and is used before 边、部、方向 or after 在: 西北边、学校的西北。 Written Xīběi it also names Northwest China (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang), as in 他老家在西北. Note the fixed order 西 before 北.
例句Example sentences
- 学校的西北边有一个小公园。xué xiào de xī běi biān yǒu yí gè xiǎo gōng yuán.There is a small park to the northwest of the school.
- 今天的风是从西北吹来的。jīn tiān de fēng shì cóng xī běi chuī lái de.Today's wind is blowing from the northwest.
- 他老家在西北，那里很少下雨。tā lǎo jiā zài xī běi, nà lǐ hěn shǎo xià yǔ.His hometown is in Northwest China, where it rarely rains.
常见错误Common mistakes
-
✗我家在北西边。
✓我家在西北边。
Chinese fixes the order as 西 + 北, so 'northwest' is 西北, never 北西.
易混词Easily confused
西北vs西边
西边 is simply 'the west side' of something; 西北 adds the north component and means 'northwest'.
义项All meanings
- Xī běi: Northwest China (Shaanxi, Gansu, Qinghai, Ningxia, Xinjiang)
- xī běi: northwest