How to Write 旁 (páng) — Meaning “side, beside”

Imagine a square (方) with a small roof (亠) on top, like a tiny house sitting beside a road. The roof is on the side of the square, reminding you that 旁 means 'side' or 'beside'.

A common mistake is to add a hook to the last vertical stroke, like in the standalone character 方. In 旁, the bottom vertical stroke is straight with no hook. Also, remember the top part has two dots: one before the horizontal and one after it.

旁 has a roof-like top and 方 below, meaning 'side'. 施 has 方 on the left and 也 (also) on the right, meaning 'to apply' or 'to carry out'. 斿 has 方 on the left and a flag-like component, meaning 'to wander' and is rarely used in modern Chinese.

旁 is used in common location words like 旁边 (next to) and 路旁 (roadside). It also appears in 旁听 (to audit a class), meaning to sit on the side as a listener. It is a basic HSK 1 character for describing positions and directions.

Common words containing 旁 include: 旁边 (páng biān) — side, next to; 路旁 (lù páng) — Roadside; 旁听 (páng tīng) — to audit (a class), to sit in on.