Location word

Also known as: 方位名词 (fāngwèi míngcí), 方位词 (fāngwèi cí) and noun of locality.

Location words are nouns showing direction and location.

Notes

方位词

AKA: position nouns, nouns of locality

Nouns showing direction and location

  • Single character location nouns (e.g. 上, 下, 里 etc.) rarely used on their own. Usually combined with -边, -面, 以- or 之- to make two-character location nouns. These can be adverbs (adverbial adjuncts - can have more than one in a phrase).
  • Single character location noun usually attach to other nouns, e.g. 屋子里.
  • Some rules for 里 / 里边
    • Must be used after nouns for containers, e.g. *巧克力在盒子
    • Cannot be used after nouns for geographical areas, e.g. *我在北京里

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