向 (xiàng): towards, to face, to turn towards, direction, to support, to side with
向 (xiàng) is a Chinese character meaning “towards.” Classified as HSK Level 3 (HSK 3.0 Standard, CLEC 2022), it is composed of 口 (structural). It ranks #146 in character frequency (SUBTLEX-CH corpus).
Definitions
- towards
- to face
- to turn towards
- direction
- to support
- to side with
Stroke Order
Practice writing 向 with real-time feedback — trace each stroke in the correct order and build muscle memory in the HanziFeed app.
Words & Compounds
HSK Vocabulary with 向
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning | HSK |
|---|---|---|---|
| 方向noun | fāng xiàng | direction | 3 |
| 倾向verb/noun | qīng xiàng | trend | 6 |
| 一向adverb | yī xiàng | a period of time in the recent past | 6 |
| 向上verb | xiàng shàng | upward | 5 |
| 向往verb | xiàng wǎng | to yearn for | 6 |
| 面向verb | miàn xiàng | to face | 5 |
Common Compounds
| Word | Pinyin | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| 向前adverb | xiàng qián | forward |
| 走向noun | zǒu xiàng | direction |
| 指向verb | zhǐ xiàng | to point towards |
| 通向verb | tōng xiàng | to lead to |
| 转向verb | zhuǎn xiàng | to change direction |
| 方向盘noun | fāng xiàng pán | steering wheel |
| 向导verb | xiàng dǎo | guide |
| 去向noun | qù xiàng | direction in which sb or sth has gone |
| 向日葵noun | xiàng rì kuí | sunflower (Helianthus annuus) |
| 取向noun | qǔ xiàng | orientation |
| 航向 | háng xiàng | course |
| 向着verb | xiàng zhe | towards |
| 晕头转向phrase | yūn tóu zhuàn xiàng | confused and disoriented |
| 动向noun | dòng xiàng | trend |
| 风向noun | fēng xiàng | wind direction |
向 appears in 102 compound words: 28 as the first character, 54 as the last, and 18 in a middle position. Compound statistics computed from SUBTLEX-CH and HSK 3.0 vocabulary data.
Strongest Collocations
Characters that most frequently co-occur with 向 in natural Chinese text, ranked by NPMI (Normalized Pointwise Mutual Information) — a statistical measure of association strength.
Idioms & Chengyu (11)
Alternative name for 特徵向量／特征向量 (tèzhēng xiàngliàng, “eigenvector”).
synonym of 向壁虛構 /向壁虚构 (xiàngbìxūgòu, “to make up out of one's head; to fabricate”)
synonym of 向壁虛構 /向壁虚构 (xiàngbìxūgòu, “to make up out of one's head; to fabricate”)
Example Sentences
这个想法很好，但实施起来可能会遇到一些困难。
Zhè gè xiǎngfǎ hěn hǎo, dàn shíshī qǐlai kěnéng huì yù dào yīxiē kùnnán.
This idea is good, but implementing it may encounter some difficulties.
美国向联合国支付1.6亿美元部分欠款,仅为其约...
měi guó xiàng lián gě guó zhī fù 1 . 6 yì měi yuán bù fēn qiàn kuǎn , jǐn wéi qí yuē . . .
The United States paid part of the $160 million owed to the United Nations, only for about ...
也门安全部队向反政府示威者开火 造成至少12人伤亡
yě mén ān quán bù duì xiàng fǎn zhèng fǔ shì wēi zhě kāi huǒ zào chéng zhì shǎo 1 2 rén shāng wáng
Yemeni security forces opened fire on anti-government demonstrators, killing at least 12 people
川AG大军注意!雅西高速成都往西昌方向多路段车多缓..
chuān dà jūn zhù yì ! yǎ xī gāo sù chéng dū wǎng xī chāng fāng xiàng duō lù duàn chē duō huǎn . .
Sichuan AG army attention! Yaxi Expressway, Chengdu to Xichang direction of many sections of the traffic slow ...
2025年收获满满,山东信息职业技术学院向合作单位..
nián shōu huò mǎn mǎn , shān dōng xìn xī zhí yè jì shù xué yuàn xiàng gě zuò shàn wèi . .
2025: A Year of Abundant Harvests Shandong Information Vocational College extends its gratitude to partner institutions...
突发:一男子手持霰弹枪冲向美国国会大厦
tū fā yī nán zǐ shǒu chí 霰 dàn qiāng chōng xiàng měi guó guó huì dà xià
Breaking: Man Charged Toward U.S. Capitol Building with Shotgun
我有必要向他解释原因吗？
Wǒ yǒu bìyào xiàng tā jiěshì yuányīn ma?
Is it necessary for me to explain the reason to him?
中央公园在哪个方向？
Zhōngyāng gōngyuán zài nǎge fāngxiàng?
Which way is Central Park?
我可以向你借一些钱？
Wǒ kěyǐ xiàng nǐ jiè yīxiē qián?
Can I borrow some money from you?
那个向你招手的女孩是谁？
Nàge xiàng nǐ zhāoshǒu de nǚhái shì shéi?
Who is that girl waving to you?
Character Family
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 向 (xiàng) mean in Chinese?
How many strokes does 向 have?
What is the radical of 向?
What are the components of 向?
What are common words containing 向?
What characters sound the same as 向 (xiàng)?
Is 向 the same in simplified and traditional Chinese?
Practice writing 向 with real-time feedback
Trace stroke sequences, hear spoken pronunciation, and build lasting retention with spaced repetition in the HanziFeed app.