北
běi · HSK 1
north
🧭 北 = oracle-bone pictograph of two people back-to-back; 'back' → 'north'
Ancient Chinese houses faced south, so one's back faced north. The original sense was 'back' (now written 背 with 月/flesh added); 北 was repurposed for the compass direction. Pinyin běi sounds like 'bay'.
北 — two people 人 back-to-back
北 originally pictured two people standing back-to-back, meaning 'back' or 'to turn one's back on.' Because people in ancient China faced south, their backs pointed north, so 北 came to mean 'north.' The original 'back' sense was later written with 背 (adding 月/flesh).