西
west(ern)
At a glance · 西
Evolution of the glyph
Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.
Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE
⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.
「西」甲骨文象鸟巢之形，金文小篆稍变，本为栖。
What the sketch shows
Origins & notes
「西」本为鸟巢象形（通「栖」），假借为西方、西边。
Structure
象形字，象鸟巢，假借为西方（日落之向），久借不还。
At a glance
Pinyinxī
Radical覀
Strokes6
UnicodeU+897F
Character type象形
Theme地理
Six languages, one character
Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.
English
west(ern)
west(ern); westward; occident; Kangxi radical 146
Français
ouest / occident
Ouest, occident. «东西二京» : la capitale de l'Ouest (Chang'an).
Español
oeste / occidente
Oeste, occidente. «东西二京»: la capital del Oeste (Chang'an).
العربية
غرب / مغرب
غرب، مغرب. «东西二京»: عاصمة الغرب (تشانغآن).
Русский
запад / западный
Запад, западный. «东西二京»: западная столица (Чанъань).
Common words
- 西方xī fāngwest
- 东西dōng xithing