北京 meaning in English
Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (short name 京[Jing1])
Meaning of 北京
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (short name 京[Jing1])
How to use 北京
北京 is the name of China's capital city and is used like any place name, often with verbs like 去 (qù, to go) or 在 (zài, to be at). Example: 我住在北京。(Wǒ zhù zài Běijīng.) I live in Beijing.
北京 (Běijīng) is literally "north capital." 北 (běi) means north and 京 (jīng) means capital, so Beijing is the capital in the north.
Common mistake: Learners often say the second syllable with the wrong tone. 京 is first tone (jīng), so the word is Běijīng, not Běijìng. Also, 北 is third tone, but before a first tone it is usually said as a low half third tone.
北京 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
北 běi · north · 5 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
京 jīng · capital city · 8 strokes
- 1
- 2
- 3
- 4
- 5
- 6
- 7
- 8
Related words
Words that share a character with 北京.
| 北边 | běibian | north; north side |
| 北方 | běifāng | north; the northern part a country |
| 西北 | xīběi | northwest |
| 东北 | dōngběi | northeast |
| 北部 | běibù | northern part |
| 京剧 | jīngjù | Beijing opera |
| 北极 | běijí | the North Pole; the north magnetic pole |
| 南北 | nánběi | north and south; north to south |
| 北极熊 | běijíxióng | polar bear |
| 京都 | Jīngdū | capital (of a country) |
| 北面 | běimiàn | northern side; north |
| 京城 | jīngchéng | capital of a country |
Questions about 北京
What does 北京 mean?
北京 (Běijīng) means "Beijing municipality, capital of the People's Republic of China (short name 京[Jing1])" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 北京?
北京 is made of 2 characters: 北 (5 strokes), 京 (8 strokes). That is 13 strokes in total.
Is 北京 an HSK word?
Yes. 北京 is on the HSK 1 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
Why is Beijing sometimes called Peking?
Peking is an older English spelling of the same name, used before pinyin became standard. Today Beijing is the normal spelling, though Peking still appears in names like Peking duck and Peking University.
What does 京 mean when it appears alone?
京 (jīng) is the short name for Beijing. You see it in words like 京剧 (jīngjù, Beijing opera) and on Beijing car license plates.