西せい方ほう

also: さいほう · にしがた

せ

い

ほ

う

Common wordFreq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

noun

western direction; the west

General term for the western direction or area; used in geography, navigation, and everyday contexts.

この町まちの西せい方ほうには大おおきな川かわが流ながれている。
A large river flows to the west of this town.
台たい風ふうは西せい方ほうへ進すすんでいる。
The typhoon is moving westward.

noun

Western Pure Land; Amitabha's paradise

abbreviationBuddhism

Only with reading さいほう

Buddhist abbreviation of 西方浄土; read さいほう. Refers to the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha in the west.

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉は西せい方ほうにある〈place〉 is located to the west
その村むらは町まちから西せい方ほうにある。
The village is located to the west of the town.
西にし方がたの〈人ひと〉the west-side wrestler (in sumo)
西にし方がたの力りき士しが勝かった。
The west-side wrestler won.
西せい方ほうに進すすむto head or advance westward
船ふねは西せい方ほうに進すすんだ。
The ship advanced toward the west.

Kanji

西west, Spain
方direction, person, alternative

Related words

西にしN5sense 1
西 is the plain, everyday word for 'west', while 西方 is a more formal or literary term often used in geography or set phrases.
西せい部ぶN1sense 1
西部 refers to the western part or region of a place, whereas 西方 more generally denotes the western direction itself.
西にし側がわ
西側 is the everyday word for the west side of a place, while 西方 is a more formal or literary term for the western direction.

Opposites

東とう方ほう sense 1
東方 means the eastern direction, the direct opposite of 西方's western direction (and in sumo, the east-side wrestler versus the west-side one).

Written forms

西方Usage100%
- せいほう
  Standard kanji spelling for the common reading せいほう.
- さいほう
  Buddhist reading, mainly in the compound 西方浄土.
- にしがた
  Sumo-specific reading for the western fighter.
さいほう
にしがた

Etymology

Compound of 西 (west) and 方 (direction). The Buddhist reading さいほう is the older Chinese-derived pronunciation, while せいほう is a later Sino-Japanese reading. The sumo reading にしがた uses the native Japanese reading of 西.