西 (xī) means "west" with 6 strokes, radical 覀 (west), HSK 1 on the new exam.
Pronunciation
Meaning
Primary: west
Etymology
Oracle-bone origin
The etymology of 西 is debated. The oldest forms show a woven basket or a bird's nest, and 说文解字 reads it as a bird settling into its nest at sunset, which is how the character came to mean 'west' (the direction of the setting sun). Modern scholars more often favour the basket reading, with the 'west' sense being a phonetic loan.
Form evolution
Oracle and bronze forms look like a rounded container with a lid or internal weave. Seal script regularises this into a squarish frame with crossed lines inside. Clerical script straightens everything into the modern six-stroke 西 with its horizontal top, vertical sides, and the characteristic 儿-like bottom element.
How the meaning evolved
Whether the original sense was 'nest' or 'basket,' the dominant surviving meaning is the cardinal direction 'west.' From there it extended to 'western' in a cultural sense, giving compounds like 西方 (the West), 西餐 (Western food), and 东西 (east-west, and by extension 'thing, stuff'). The container sense is preserved in 栖 (qī, to perch), which added a 木 radical once 西 was repurposed.
Cultural note
东西 meaning 'thing' is one of the most common words in Mandarin and comes from the two directions combined, though folk explanations vary on why. A standard account is that markets were laid out on east-west axes, so 'east-west' came to mean 'goods from the market.'
Mnemonic
A bird nesting at sunset — west
Basic info
| Pinyin | xī |
| Meanings | west |
| Stroke count | 6 strokes |
| Radical | 覀 (#146: west) |
| New HSK exam | Recognise at HSK 1 |
| Frequency | #390 most common |
Example sentences
Words containing 西
Related characters
On the new HSK 1 exam
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Frequently Asked Questions
Reviewed by RJ Murray, Founder, HSK Lord.