phương

== Vietnamese == === Alternative forms === phang === Etymology === Sino-Vietnamese word from 方. === Pronunciation === (Hà Nội) IPA(key): [fɨəŋ˧˧] (Huế) IPA(key): [fɨəŋ˧˧] (Saigon) IPA(key): [fɨəŋ˧˧] Homophone: Phương === Noun === phương direction (theoretical line) phương bắc ― northern; northerly direction (guidance, instruction) ==== Usage notes ==== Each of the cardinal directions (đông, tây, nam, bắc), when used in conjunction with this term in reference to a region, would give native speakers different ideas. Phương bắc is usually understood as one of the countries further north of Vietnam (such as Russia or China); miền Bắc or simply bắc would be used to mean the north of Vietnam instead. Contrastingly, phương nam typically denotes Southern Vietnam, while phương tây and phương đông are used to describe the Western and the Eastern world, respectively. ==== Derived terms ==== ==== See also ==== phương chi ("especially when; let alone; much less")