北 běi
north (direction), to face away from each other, back.
Story
The character 【北】 is a vivid pictographic character with a clear origin. Its structure perfectly reflects its core meaning: it consists of two 【人】 (rén, meaning "person") characters, placed back to back. This is exactly the interesting memory point for 【北】: 【北】 looks like two people facing away from each other.
In ancient Chinese, the original meaning of 【北】 was "to turn one’s back" or "to face away". Later, it gradually evolved to represent the direction of north. The reason is closely related to ancient people’s living habits—when they faced south to avoid cold winds, their backs would be towards the north, so 【北】 was extended to mean the north direction.
【北】 is a very common character in daily Chinese, often used in words related to directions, regions and positions. It carries a long cultural connotation and is an essential character for Chinese learners to master.
Memory Tip
Just remember: two 【人】 (people) standing back to back = 【北】 (north/face away). This vivid image of two people turning their backs on each other can help you memorize the shape and origin of 【北】 quickly.
