西
xī · HSK 1
west
🧭 Etymology: a bird settling into its nest at sunset — direction where sun sets
The character originally depicted a bird in its nest; birds return home at dusk, when the sun sets in the west. Sound xī also appears in 西班牙 (Xībānyá = Spain), a phonetic loan.
西 — top 覀 (cover) + bottom 儿 (legs); originally a bird in nest
Originally a pictograph of a bird settling into its nest at dusk. Because birds return to roost when the sun sets in the west, the character was borrowed to mean 'west.' The original 'nest' meaning was later written with 棲/栖.