<p>Both 十字 and 什字 pronounce the same so they are the same in spoken Chinese, the usage determines the difference. 十字 is <strong>more often used</strong> nowadays than 什字. In mainland China, 十字 means an <strong>arbitrary cross</strong>, e.g. 十字路口 for crossroad, 十字架 for the cross-shaped woodwork. While XX什字 indicates a <strong>certain street name</strong> (or a shop name maybe) just as you mentioned.</p>
<p>Why 什 is now less used relates to people's universal habit and a little bit of history. I am not professional, just post my guess for potential help.</p>
<ul>
<li><em>Ancient governance wanted every citicen being able to read and write, so 十 and 什 is combined as one for simplicity, where 十、什 pronounce the same and 十 is more easy to write. As for the road names directing loactions, they kept the original naming habit as 什字 in urban planning. Street names often become deeply ingrained in the local culture and history, and changing them can lead to disorientation among residents and visitors alike.</em></li>
</ul>
<p>Another interesting point is that you can see the glyph 什 with similar meanings among simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Here 什's meaning relates to utensil, thing, ten.</p>
<p>By the way, there is another meaning of 什 within the combination of 什么, which is commonly used in modern Chinese but totally different from the discussion above.</p>
<p>References.
<a href="https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%BB%80" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>什的解释</strong></a>
<a href="https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/683202509" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><strong>兰州的什字</strong></a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-22T03:01:54.870Z
2024-10-22T03:01:54.870Z
zrsammy
<p><strong>什 [shí]</strong> -</p>
<ol>
<li>(名) - 数目字。同「十 」。“什”是集体的十, 如：「什倍」、「什家」。2. Also, &quot;什几&quot; - 古人用來表&quot;分数(tenth)&quot;, 如：「什一(十分之一)」、「什九(十分之九)」。</li>
</ol>
<p>I don't think &quot;什&quot; can replace &quot;十&quot; in the word &quot;十字路口(crossroad)&quot;, which was named according to the shape of the word &quot;十&quot;.</p>
<p>&quot;<strong>南关什字</strong>&quot; is a locality in Chengguan, Lanzhou, Gansu. <a href="https://mapcarta.com/N4326940696" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://mapcarta.com/N4326940696</a></p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-21T14:37:37.230Z
2024-10-21T14:37:37.230Z
r13
<blockquote>
<p>are the two words means the exact same thing and are interchangeably used?</p>
</blockquote>
<p>The answer is No.</p>
<p>crossroads 正式的，标准的，官方的，用普通话表达，中文意思是<code>十字</code> or <code>十字路口</code></p>
<p>东关、南关、西关指的是城门，以前的说法，老式叫法，现在用的人很少</p>
<blockquote>
<p>南关，是中国广州市越秀区的一个地名。当时广州东南西北四面的城门，分别称为东关、南关、西关（北面有山，不称“北关”）。南关此名称，现在除了广州老城区年长居民外，逐渐少人提及。</p>
</blockquote>
<p>see at <a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E5%8D%97%E5%85%B3_(%E5%B9%BF%E5%B7%9E)" rel="nofollow noreferrer">https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E5%8D%97%E5%85%B3_(%E5%B9%BF%E5%B7%9E)</a></p>
<p>另外关于你说的<code>什字</code>，我只听过并且经常听人说<code>十字</code> or <code>十字路口</code>。因为<code>什字</code>和<code>十字</code>发音和字很相近，猜测<code>什字</code>是某一个地方的方言，有些地方的方言和普通话发音很相近。作为一个土生土长的中国人，以前我竟然没有听说过<code>什字</code>，所以我搜索了下：</p>
<p>第1张图片</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/8sJhmBTK.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/8sJhmBTK.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>第2张图片</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/TpnfPMSJ.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/TpnfPMSJ.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>第3张图片</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/HlPJGtFO.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/HlPJGtFO.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>第4张图片</p>
<p><a href="https://i.sstatic.net/CHRd5Srk.png" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/CHRd5Srk.png" alt="enter image description here" /></a></p>
<p>在我看来<code>南关什字支行</code>，<code>南关什字店</code>,这里的南关表明了位于某一位置的南城门(老式说法，以前的叫法)，不过东关、南关、西关现在用的人不多了，南关在这的意义也不大了，这里的<code>南关什字</code>可以用任何你想使用的汉字替代，比如一个店铺可以叫做<code>北京字关什南烤鸭店</code>,一个银行的支行也可以叫做<code>北京邮政储蓄银行关字什南支行</code>都是可以的。</p>
<p>如果你想把crossroads解释为道路相关的中文意思，那么<code>十字</code> or <code>十字路口</code>肯定没有错。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2024-10-21T12:36:46.613Z
2024-10-21T12:59:52.693Z
2024-10-21T12:59:52.693Z
Tom
<p>Is the Chinese for <code>crossroads</code> <code>十字</code> or <code>什字</code>? If I look up in dictionary it would be <code>十字</code> or <code>十字路口</code>, however I've seen real road plates in China cities that shows <code>什字</code>, like <code>南关什字</code> or <code>北关什字</code>, are the two words means the exact same thing and are interchangeably used? Is there any difference.</p>

<meaning>
什字 or 十字 for crossroad?
# 什字 or 十字 for crossroad?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2024-10-21)

Is the Chinese for `crossroads` `十字` or `什字`? If I look up in dictionary it would be `十字` or `十字路口`, however I've seen real road plates in China cities that shows `什字`, like `南关什字` or `北关什字`, are the two words means the exact same thing and are interchangeably used? Is there any difference.

**Tags:** meaning

---

## 3 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2024-10-22. Score: 3 | Accepted answer

Both 十字 and 什字 pronounce the same so they are the same in spoken Chinese, the usage determines the difference. 十字 is **more often used** nowadays than 什字. In mainland China, 十字 means an **arbitrary cross**, e.g. 十字路口 for crossroad, 十字架 for the cross-shaped woodwork. While XX什字 indicates a **certain street name** (or a shop name maybe) just as you mentioned.

Why 什 is now less used relates to people's universal habit and a little bit of history. I am not professional, just post my guess for potential help.

* *Ancient governance wanted every citicen being able to read and write, so 十 and 什 is combined as one for simplicity, where 十、什 pronounce the same and 十 is more easy to write. As for the road names directing loactions, they kept the original naming habit as 什字 in urban planning. Street names often become deeply ingrained in the local culture and history, and changing them can lead to disorientation among residents and visitors alike.*

Another interesting point is that you can see the glyph 什 with similar meanings among simplified Chinese, traditional Chinese, Japanese and Korean.
Here 什's meaning relates to utensil, thing, ten.

By the way, there is another meaning of 什 within the combination of 什么, which is commonly used in modern Chinese but totally different from the discussion above.

References.
[**什的解释**](https://www.zdic.net/hans/%E4%BB%80)
[**兰州的什字**](https://zhuanlan.zhihu.com/p/683202509)


---

### Answer by username_2 on 2024-10-21. Score: 1

**什 [shí]** -

1. (名) - 数目字。同「十 」。“什”是集体的十, 如：「什倍」、「什家」。2. Also, "什几" - 古人用來表"分数(tenth)", 如：「什一(十分之一)」、「什九(十分之九)」。

I don't think "什" can replace "十" in the word "十字路口(crossroad)", which was named according to the shape of the word "十".

"**南关什字**" is a locality in Chengguan, Lanzhou, Gansu. <https://mapcarta.com/N4326940696>


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### Answer by username_3 on 2024-10-21. Score: 1

> are the two words means the exact same thing and are interchangeably used?

The answer is No.

crossroads 正式的，标准的，官方的，用普通话表达，中文意思是`十字` or `十字路口`

东关、南关、西关指的是城门，以前的说法，老式叫法，现在用的人很少

> 南关，是中国广州市越秀区的一个地名。当时广州东南西北四面的城门，分别称为东关、南关、西关（北面有山，不称“北关”）。南关此名称，现在除了广州老城区年长居民外，逐渐少人提及。

see at <https://zh.wikipedia.org/zh-hans/%E5%8D%97%E5%85%B3_(%E5%B9%BF%E5%B7%9E)>

另外关于你说的`什字`，我只听过并且经常听人说`十字` or `十字路口`。因为`什字`和`十字`发音和字很相近，猜测`什字`是某一个地方的方言，有些地方的方言和普通话发音很相近。作为一个土生土长的中国人，以前我竟然没有听说过`什字`，所以我搜索了下：

第1张图片

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/8sJhmBTK.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/8sJhmBTK.png)

第2张图片

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/TpnfPMSJ.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/TpnfPMSJ.png)

第3张图片

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/HlPJGtFO.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/HlPJGtFO.png)

第4张图片

[![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/CHRd5Srk.png)](https://i.sstatic.net/CHRd5Srk.png)

在我看来`南关什字支行`，`南关什字店`,这里的南关表明了位于某一位置的南城门(老式说法，以前的叫法)，不过东关、南关、西关现在用的人不多了，南关在这的意义也不大了，这里的`南关什字`可以用任何你想使用的汉字替代，比如一个店铺可以叫做`北京字关什南烤鸭店`,一个银行的支行也可以叫做`北京邮政储蓄银行关字什南支行`都是可以的。

如果你想把crossroads解释为道路相关的中文意思，那么`十字` or `十字路口`肯定没有错。


---

