向

See also: 尚, 何, 同, 回, and 嚮

向 U+5411, 向 CJK UNIFIED IDEOGRAPH-5411 ← 吐 [U+5410] CJK Unified Ideographs 吒 → [U+5412]

Translingual

Stroke order

Han character

向 (Kangxi radical 30, 口+3, 6 strokes, cangjie input 竹月口 (HBR), four-corner 2722₀, composition ⿱丿冋 or ⿵𰃦口)

Derived characters

• 响, 垧, 姠, 恦, 逈, 𣂝, 晌, 𬂭, 𤈍, 珦, 𥹝, 𥿧, 䖮, 𧧦, 𮚹, 銄, 餉(饷), 𮯄
• 䚁, 𭕜, 扄, 晑, 𥭈, 𰈜, 𠽘, 𤍀, 嚮, 𪢞, 𧥁, 𫝙, 𫷇, 𣹚, 𮣛

References

• Kangxi Dictionary: page 176, character 4
• Dai Kanwa Jiten: character 3301
• Dae Jaweon: page 393, character 4
• Hanyu Da Zidian (first edition): volume 1, page 579, character 8
• Unihan data for U+5411

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Chinese

Glyph origin

Historical forms of the character 向
Shang	Western Zhou	Warring States	Shuowen Jiezi (compiled in Han)	Liushutong (compiled in Ming)
Oracle bone script	Bronze inscriptions	Chu slip and silk script	Small seal script	Transcribed ancient scripts

Characters in the same phonetic series (向) (Zhengzhang, 2003) 

	Old Chinese
晌	*hljaŋʔ
餉	*hljaŋs
向	*hljaŋs, *hlaŋs
珦	*hljaŋs, *hlaŋs

Ideogrammic compound (會意／会意) : 宀 (“house”) + 口 (“mouth”), echos in a place. The original form of 響. It was borrowed to represent 𠨍 (嚮) later.

Etymology 1

simp. and trad.		向

“for (directed at, intended to belong to)”

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 向(む)け (muke).

Pronunciation 1

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 向

1. to face

   向陽／向阳  ―  xiàngyáng  ―  to face the sun

   大門向南／大门向南  ―  dàmén xiàng nán  ―  the entrance faces south

   相向而行  ―  xiàng xiàng ér xíng  ―  to walk towards each other

2. to side with; to favour; to discriminate in favour of
3. (literary) to admire; to revere
4. (literary) to approach; to advance towards

   向晚  ―  xiàngwǎn  ―  evening

5. direction

   風向／风向  ―  fēngxiàng  ―  wind direction

   志向  ―  zhìxiàng  ―  ambitions

6. towards; to

   向東走／向东走  ―  xiàng dōng zǒu  ―  to go east

   流向大海  ―  liú xiàng dàhǎi  ―  to flow towards the sea

   向警方報案／向警方报案  ―  xiàng jǐngfāng bào'àn  ―  to report a crime to the post

   我有些問題想向您請教。 [MSC, trad.]
   我有些问题想向您请教。 [MSC, simp.]

   Wǒ yǒu xiē wèntí xiǎng xiàng nín qǐngjiào. [Pinyin]

   (please add an English translation of this usage example)

   大家紛紛把目光投向他。 [MSC, trad.]
   大家纷纷把目光投向他。 [MSC, simp.]

   Dàjiā fēnfēn bǎ mùguāng tóu xiàng tā. [Pinyin]

   Everyone cast their gaze towards him.

7. (literary) the old days; the past
8. always; throughout

   向有研究  ―  xiàng yǒu yánjiū  ―  (please add an English translation of this usage example)

9. (Taivoan religious concept) sorcery, taboo, and magic
10. (chiefly ACG, suffix forming attributive adjectives) for (directed at, intended to belong to)

Pronunciation 2

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Xiàng (Xiang⁴)

  (Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄤˋ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): hoeng³
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Hiòng / Hiàng

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Xiàng
    • Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄤˋ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Siàng
    • Wade–Giles: Hsiang⁴
    • Yale: Syàng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Shianq
    • Palladius: Сян (Sjan)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑŋ⁵¹/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
    • Jyutping: hoeng³
    • Yale: heung
    • Cantonese Pinyin: hoeng³
    • Guangdong Romanization: hêng³
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hœːŋ³³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hiòng
    • Tâi-lô: Hiòng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hioxng
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /hiɔŋ⁴¹/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /hiɔŋ²¹/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hiàng
    • Tâi-lô: Hiàng
    • Phofsit Daibuun: hiaxng
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /hiaŋ²¹/

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• Middle Chinese: syangH

Rime
Character	向
Reading #	1/2
Initial (聲)	書 (26)
Final (韻)	陽 (105)
Tone (調)	Departing (H)
Openness (開合)	Open
Division (等)	III
Fanqie	式亮切
Baxter	syangH
Reconstructions
Zhengzhang Shangfang	/ɕɨɐŋH/
Pan Wuyun	/ɕiɐŋH/
Shao Rongfen	/ɕiɑŋH/
Edwin Pulleyblank	/ɕɨaŋH/
Li Rong	/ɕiaŋH/
Wang Li	/ɕĭaŋH/
Bernard Karlgren	/ɕi̯aŋH/
Expected Mandarin Reflex	shàng
Expected Cantonese Reflex	soeng3

• Old Chinese

  (Zhengzhang): /*hljaŋs/

Zhengzhang system (2003)
Character	向
Reading #	1/2
No.	13658
Phonetic component	向
Rime group	陽
Rime subdivision	0
Corresponding MC rime	餉
Old Chinese	/*hljaŋs/

Definitions

(deprecated template usage) 向

1. An ancient state in modern Shandong
2. name of two places in modern Henan
3. a surname

   • 將軍向寵，性行淑均，曉暢軍事。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     将军向宠，性行淑均，晓畅军事。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 諸葛亮 (Zhūgě Liàng) (Zhuge Liang), 《出師表》, 227 CE

     Jiāngjūn Xiàng Chǒng, xìngxíng shū jūn, xiǎochàng jūnshì. [Pinyin]

     General Xiang Chong is a kind and fair-minded man proficient in military matters.

Etymology 2

For pronunciation and definitions of 向 – see 嚮 (“to turn toward; to approach; toward; facing; against; etc.”). (This character is the simplified and variant form of 嚮).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Etymology 3

For pronunciation and definitions of 向 – see 曏 (“in the near past; in the past; formerly; facing; against; etc.”). (This character is the simplified form of 曏).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji

向

(Third grade kyōiku kanji)

1. yonder
2. facing

Readings

• Go-on: こう (kō, Jōyō)^{←かう (kau, historical)}
• Kan-on: きょう (kyō)^{←きやう (kyau, historical)}
• On: しょう (shō)^{←しやう (syau, historical)}
• Kun: むく (muku, 向く, Jōyō)、むける (mukeru, 向ける, Jōyō)、むかう (mukau, 向かう, Jōyō)^{←むかふ (mukafu, 向かふ, historical)}、むこう (mukō, 向こう, Jōyō)、さきに (sakini)

Proper noun

向(むかい) or 向(proper) • (mukai or proper) ^{←むかひ (mukafi)?}[[Category:Japanese
|むかい]]

1. a surname

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Korean

Etymology 1

Hanja

向 (eumhun 향할 향 (hyanghal hyang))

1. hanja form^? of 향 (“facing”)

Etymology 2

Hanja

向 (eumhun 성 상 (seong sang))

1. hanja form^? of 상 (“a surname.”)

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Vietnamese

Han character

向: Hán Nôm readings: hướng

1. This term needs a translation to English. Please help out and add a translation, then remove the text {{rfdef}}.