附近 (fù jìn) — nearby area; vicinity; neighborhood

Definition

附近 refers to the general area around a place ("nearby / the vicinity"). It pairs with a location like 我家附近 or 学校附近; 旁边 is the spot right next to something, while 周围 emphasizes the surrounding circle.

noun
nearby areavicinityneighborhood

Examples

  • 附近。
    Wǒ jiā fù jìn yǒu yí gè gōng yuán.
    There is a park near my home.
  • 附近。
    Xué xiào fù jìn de cān tīng hěn hǎo chī.
    The restaurants near the school are very tasty.
  • 附近？
    Nǐ zhī dào fù jìn yǒu méi yǒu yín háng?
    Do you know if there is a bank nearby?

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
联合liánhéSide by side

Two parts of equal weight, alike or opposite in meaning, standing side by side.

附fùnear
近jìnnear

附 and 近 both carry the sense of 'near', so the word means a nearby area.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
阝Written in full as阜fù
Sound part声符shēngfú
付
付fù附fù
Same sound today

附 pairs 阝, written in full as 阜, with 付 as the sound part.

Open 附 →

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
辶Written in full as辵chuòwalk
Sound part声符shēngfú
斤
斤jīn近jìn
Same sound today

近 combines 辶, a walking radical, with 斤, which gives the sound. The walking part fits the idea of moving close to something.

Open 近 →
Appears in
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