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HSK 3

地方

place; location

nounneutral7 episodes
地
dì4th tone
方
fāng1st tone

HSK level

1
2
3
4
5
6
Pinyin
dìfang
Part of speech
noun
Level
HSK 3
Strokes
10
Register
neutral
Measure word
个
In episodes
7

Stroke order for 地方

地方 is written with 10 strokes (地: 6, 方: 4). The animation replays automatically.

What does 地方 mean?

地方 (dìfang) is the everyday Chinese word for 'place' — any spot, area, location, or region.

Use it broadly: a city, a corner of a room, a part of the body, or even an abstract 'aspect' of an idea. Common patterns: 这个地方 (zhège dìfang) 'this place,' 什么地方 (shénme dìfang) 'where / what place,' 找一个地方 (zhǎo yí ge dìfang) 'find a place.' It can also point to a vague 'spot' — 我有个地方不舒服 ('I have a spot that isn't comfortable,' i.e.

, somewhere on my body hurts) — or to an 'aspect': 他有很多好的地方 ('he has many good points'). With both syllables stressed, dìfāng shifts to mean 'local / regional' (地方菜 'local cuisine,' 地方政府 'local government'). Contrast with 地点 (dìdiǎn), the more formal word for a specific designated location like a meeting venue.

Note: Neutral and extremely common. Read as dìfāng (both syllables stressed) it can also mean 'local' as opposed to 'central,' e.g. 地方政府 'local government.'

Character by character

地dìground; earth; place
+
方fāngsquare; direction; region
=
地方

Memory hook: 地 (earth) + 方 (region) = a region of earth = a place.

Hear 地方 in real episodes

地方 appears in 7 Fluentide podcast episodes at natural native speed — each with the full Chinese script, pinyin, and line-by-line English translation.

300,000 Homes Lost Power. The Crew Sent Out at Midnight Was Shot At — One Bullet Lodged in a Headrest.地方 spoken at natural speedeasyA Kentucky School Handed Out Planners That Spell Kentucky "Venecky". A Student Spotted It on Day One.地方 spoken at natural speedbeginnerHarry Potter fans piled socks at Dobby's grave, causing a £430 million-plus undersea cable to be rerouted.地方 spoken at natural speedeasyHarry Potter fans left many socks at Dobby's grave, and a £430 million-plus undersea cable changed its route because of it.地方 spoken at natural speedbeginnerAmerica's 10 Most Sought-After Places Have Expensive Houses Because There Are Almost No Houses to Sell地方 spoken at natural speedbeginnerColombia held the new president's inauguration in Cali instead of the capital Bogotá. The outgoing president locked the barracks and didn't come to watch.地方 spoken at natural speedbeginner
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Example sentences

你住在什么地方？

Nǐ zhù zài shénme dìfang?

Where do you live?

spoken

这是一个很安静的地方。

Zhè shì yí ge hěn ānjìng de dìfang.

This is a very quiet place.

neutral

我们找个地方坐下来聊聊吧。

Wǒmen zhǎo ge dìfang zuò xiàlái liáo liao ba.

Let's find a place to sit and chat.

spoken

他身上有一个地方不舒服。

Tā shēn shàng yǒu yí ge dìfang bù shūfu.

He has a spot on his body that doesn't feel well.

spoken

北京有很多有意思的地方。

Běijīng yǒu hěn duō yǒu yìsi de dìfang.

Beijing has many interesting places.

neutral

Common phrases with 地方

什么地方shénme dìfangwhat place / where
这个地方zhège dìfangthis place / here
找地方zhǎo dìfangto look for a place
好地方hǎo dìfanga nice place / a good spot
地方政府dìfāng zhèngfǔlocal government (dìfāng, both stressed)

Synonyms

地点dìdiǎn

地点 is more formal and specific — a designated location like a meeting venue, accident site, or event address. 地方 is the everyday, general word: 'where' in conversation.

地区dìqū

地区 means 'region / area' on a larger geographic scale — 山区 'mountain region,' 北方地区 'the northern region.' 地方 is smaller and more everyday.

Don't confuse 地方 with

地址dìzhǐ

地址 is a written address — street, building, number. 地方 is a generic 'place,' not an address. 你的地址是什么 = 'what's your address?'; not 你的地方.

方面fāngmiàn

方面 means 'aspect / side (of an issue).' 地方 can also mean 'point / aspect' colloquially (有几个地方我不同意), but 方面 is the standard abstract choice.

地dì / de

Single 地 alone is rarely a freestanding noun in modern speech — say 地方. As the particle de, 地 is grammatical, not a place.

FAQ

Related words from the same episodes

安全safe保护to protect本子notebook, booklet便宜cheap兵soldier错wrong打电话to make a phone call大学university地图map电话phone call电视television电线electric line, cable

Acquire it by listening

Meet 地方 again — in real Chinese, at your level.

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