Let me preface by saying, I'm asking this here because I know y'all are a bunch of mature adults that won't make fun of me for not knowing this.

How do I learn the difference between North, East, South and West?

When someone tells me its South, I don't know what that means.

My boyfriend has tried telling me the sun sets in the East, or whatever. But that doesn't help me...

Are you asking how to memorize the compass rose?

No, I am asking how I KNOW which direction is which. I know North is up, South is down and so forth.

No, I am asking how I KNOW which direction is which. I know North is up, South is down and so forth.

The compass rose shows North as being "up", South on the "bottom", East on the "right", and West on the "left." To know your direction at any moment, these days there are apps on cell phones that show your exact coordinates (latitude& longitude). These work just like a GPS.

I want to learn to know which way is north, south, east and west without a compass or without a gps.

I want to learn to know which way is north, south, east and west without a compass or without a gps.

The sun rises in the east and sets in the west.

If you are in the USA North would be toward Canada, South would be toward Mexico, East would be toward the Atlantic Ocean, and West would be toward the Pacific Ocean.

I don't think I am describing what I am asking right.

When someone gives me directions and say go north on main street... blah blah blah. How do I know which way north is.

I know that Canada is north of me, but how do I know which way north is... If that makes sense.

Telling me the Sun sets somewhere doesn't help because what if I'm given directions inside and its raining? That doesn't help me...

I don't think I am describing what I am asking right.

When someone gives me directions and say go north on main street...blah blah blah. How do I know which way north is.

I know that Canada is north of me, but how do I know which way north is...If that makes sense.

Telling me the Sun sets somewhere doesn't help because what if I'm given directions inside and its raining? That doesn't help me...

Ok, once you know that the sun rises in the east, then in your mind, you can fill in the "right", and where the sun sets is your "left". So, north and south would be your up and down, so to speak.

I'm not trying to be rude... But that doesn't really help me to LEARN which way is which.

I'm not trying to be rude....But that doesn't really help me to LEARN which way is which.

I've tried. Someone else can try now.

I'll just try and Google it again.

Go to a place you know well, like where you live, and have your boyfriend or someone tell you which direction is which. For instance, I lived just south of Lake Ontario, so facing that was north. Going way from it was south. The sun set in the west (so I could see it setting from the living room) and rose in the east (so I could see it rising when I looked out of the kitchen window). Every time I went to a new place, I would orient myself as to where north was, so then I could figure out the other three directions. My younger son has to carry a pocket compass around with him so he doesn't get lost when he is in unfamiliar territory.

Here is a link that should help you.

Cardinal direction - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardinal_direction)

I don't understand why this is so easy for everyone and I have such a hard time understanding it...

I don't understand why this is so easy for everyone and I have such a hard time understanding it...
It ISN'T easy for everyone! I had to orient myself everywhere I went until it finally got to be sort of okay (as long as I was in familiar places). If I am in a strange place, I still have trouble figuring out where north is.

In the clear night sky its very easy with help of stars. In day if you sure about at least one direction rest of it is solved.

Having a "compass in yotr head" is a very practical skill to learn, but it requires a basic familiarity with the area you are in. Typically if you're following someone's directions to a given destination you need to have general idea of which way you need to go - north, south, east, or west. - and if you don't, then I suggest looking at a map to get a feel for how the trip will go. I'll give an example to illustrate what I mean. Suppose you are in NY City and driving from 32nd street in Manhattan to 56th St (I'm picking Manhattan because the streets are laid out in a very logical way, with the street numbers getting higher as you drive north, and a lot of people may be familiar with the street I'll be talk ing about). So right off you know you are going to be heading north. Keep that in mind, because if your directions say "turn left on Central Park South" you should be able to visualize that when you turn left you would then be heading west on that road - can you visualize that? Then if the directions say "turn south on 8th Avenue" you can visualize that if you are heading west on Central Park South you must turn left to head south. In general if you just keep thinking about the general direction you are heading then figuring whether north or south is left or right becomes more natural. It does take practice though - it comes easier to some than others, and in your case I suggest consciously working at tracking directions in your head. Do you know which direction the front door of your house faces? If you work at an office, which direction does your desk face? Think about major roads in your area and memorize which direction they run. Knowing significant landmarks like these helps a lot.

Of course if you have no clue as to which way you're facing to start with it can be difficult to get oriented. So look for clues such as street signs, exit signs on the highway, etc to get yourself oriented.

Ok, lets say you are placed blindfolded in the middle of a large field on a cloudy day and the blindfold is taken off. You can't see the sun, you have no frame of reference. So how do you tell direction? The answer is, without a compass or GPS, you can't. I can't either so you are not alone.

The ONLY way a person can tell is by using a frame of reference. A frame of reference could be a compass or it could be the sun, or it could be star formations or it could be a landmark, but you need some frame of reference.

Lets start with the most obvious, the sun. Unless it is 12 noon and the sun is directly overhead, you determine by time of day (another frame of reference) whether sun is rising or setting. If it is rising, then you put the sun on your right side and you are facing north. If it is setting and you put the sun on your left, you are again facing north.

When it comes to directions, again frame of reference is important. For example, in Manhattan the numbered streets run east/west. And the avenues run north/south. So if you are headed east on a street to turn north you need to make a left turn, if you are headed west you need to make a right turn. So you ask, how do you know whether you are headed east or west? Well the avenue numbers rise going east to west. So if hit 5th Avenue, then 6th you are headed west. Street numbers rise south to north, so if you pass 20th St then 21st St you are headed north.

Again, its all frame of reference. But without a frame of reference, its impossible to tell. That's why we have compasses and GPS devices.

I have to quibble with something that several people have said. I don't mean to hijack this thread, but the notion that the sun rises in the east and sets in the west is a very broad statement that literally is not true, at least not for most days of the year. At best you can say that the sun rises somewhere between northeast and southeast (depending on time of year) and sets somewhere between southwest and northwest. And the sun is never directly overhead, even at noon (unless you live in the tropics) - for those of us in temperate regions of the northern hemisphere at noon the sun is high in the sky to the south. In general for people in the northern hemisphere the direction of the sun is: 6AM due east, 12 noon due south, and 6 PM due west. You can interpolate for other times. Thus at 9 AM the sun is midway between east and south (i.e. southeast) because 9AM is midway between 6AM and noon. Of course "sun time" differs from local time by up to an hour either way (depending on your physical location in your tme zone and whether you're on standard or daylight savings time), so there's going to be some error, but in general it's a reliable guide.

I have to quibble with something that several people have said. ... in general it's a reliable guide.
That's why having a landmark (like Lake Ontario for me when I was a kid) or Chicago/Lake Michigan (et al.) now for me as an adult is a good way to get your bearings. I always have a Chicago and suburbs map in my glove compartment. My dad taught us kids to be able to read maps -- best thing I ever leaned besides touch typing.

Well if you really want to quibble, the sun doesn't "rise" or "set". The earth rotates towards the east so that the sub appears to "rise" over the easterly horizon and "set" towards the westerly horizon.

;)

Well if you really want to quibble, the sun doesn't "rise" or "set". The earth rotates towards the east so that the sub appears to "rise" over the easterly horizon and "set" towards the westerly horizon.
There's always one in every crowd... :D

So to distinguish east from west all you need do is get into a space shuttle, blast off into orbit and see which way the earth is turning -- I've think we've solved the OP's problem! ;)

So to distinguish east from west all you need do is get into a space shuttle, blast off into orbit and see which way the earth is turning -- I've think we've solved the OP's problem! ;)
But... but... but how will you be able to tell which way the earth is turning? (am leaving this open for all sorts of possibilities... )

I think we've fallen short of the OP's original wishful thinking: " I know y'all are a bunch of mature adults ..."

I think we've fallen short of the OP's original wishful thinking: " I know y'all are a bunch of mature adults ..."
At least she now realizes she isn't alone.

Hi, Chi - I don't have an answer for you BUT I see Police Reports ALL the time that have the directions of travel wrong. For example the report will say that #1 was traveling North and was T boned in the driver's side at an intersection by a vehicle traveling West. That's not possible (in the US).

You are not alone.

Thanks everyone. I think I will just rely on my compass that's on my phone. THanks a ton

CM, I'm the same way. I prefer left and right directions. If someone says "it's north of the mall" I say "Is that left, right, forward or backward?" For the life of me I can't figure out what you're asking, so you're not alone.

I know where East is only because our mall is called East gate mall, so it's obviously in the East. So I know where my home is because of that mall. But, like I said, tell me (go East on this and this street, then turn West, and I'll just give you a blank stare).

Isn't this why GPS was invented? ;)

Women are notorious for not knowing direction, that's why we use landmarks!

You know... Turn right at the mall, then turn left at the 3rd yellow mailbox on the right. Once you reach the house with the green picket fence, you need to slow down... etc...

Women are notorious for not knowing direction, that's why we use landmarks!

You know.... Turn right at the mall, then turn left at the 3rd yellow mailbox on the right. Once you reach the house with the green picket fence, you need to slow down...etc..........

Exactly! Turn right where Mr. Browns barn used to be, then travel down the old dirt road until you see the windmill at which point you turn right. There will be a lake on your left side, when you're half way past the lake you'll turn right. If you see a stop sign before that, you went too far.

I once gave directions to a friend to my house, made one wrong turn and she ended up in a town 1 1/2 hours away from where I live. But, in my defense, she's also female, and truth told, I really don't think I made a mistake when I gave her directions, that's just her claim.

West, South, North, East, I can write the "map", but tell me that the place I want to go is North of some other place, and I'll smack you. ;)

I can read a map, but don't expect me to follow it if I'm driving.

Men are good at directions, women rely on landmarks.

I can read a map, but don't expect me to follow it if I'm driving.

Men are good at directions, women rely on landmarks.

I'm horrible at maps where we live, but take me out of this country and I suddenly have super powers when it comes to maps. Okay, not just out of the country, but to Germany. While there I was the map goddess. Maybe it's only because it was in German. Damn. If it weren't for me hubby would still be lost in Germany, and we haven't been back since 2001.

But in general, it's landmarks, at least while I'm at home.