King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Chinese symbol for “backwards”

逆向
nì xiàng
backwards; reverse direction

The closest CC-CEDICT match for backwards is 逆向 (nì xiàng), defined as: backwards; reverse direction.

Before using these characters for a tattoo, check them with a native speaker. Dictionary words often have several meanings, and the right choice depends on context.

Characters and stroke order

逆 nì
to disobey, to rebel; traitor, rebel
radical 162 ⾡ · 10 strokes
向 xiàng
towards; direction, trend
radical 30 ⼝ · 6 strokes

Other Chinese words for “backwards”

WordPinyinMeaning
朝后 (朝後)cháo hòubackwards; facing back
逆nìcontrary; opposite
倒着 (倒著)dào zhebackwards; in reverse; upside down

Related words

Other words that share a character with 逆向.

WordPinyinMeaning
逆转 (逆轉)nì zhuǎnto turn back; to reverse
叛逆pàn nìto rebel; to revolt
逆袭 (逆襲)nì xíto counterattack; to strike back; (neologism, attested by 2008) (of an underdog) to go on the offensive; to make an improbable comeback
可逆kě nìreversible; (math.) invertible
逆境nì jìngadversity; predicament
方向fāng xiàngdirection; orientation
走向zǒu xiàngdirection; strike (i.e. angle of inclination in geology)
倾向 (傾向)qīng xiàngtrend; tendency

See also: Japanese symbol for “backwards”.

Data: CC-CEDICT (CC BY-SA 4.0); Unihan Database (Unicode License v3); Make Me a Hanzi (Arphic Public License (graphics.txt); LGPL-3.0-or-later (dictionary.txt)); wordfreq (CC BY-SA 4.0 (data)). Retrieved 2026-10-22.

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