Nuances between the various words for direction

Question

There are 方, 方向, 方面, 向き, 方角, and 方位.

My current understanding is:

方位 specifically refers to the points on a compass

方角 refers to east/west/south/north

向き refers to an orientation/direction of an object

However, I don't really understand the distinction between 方, 方向, and 方面, other than the fact that 方 seems the most common/casual, and 方面 can also be used to refer to field of study/walk of life. What are the distinction between these?

Answer 1

Mostly it is a matter of collocations and difficult to give a comprehensive answer, but generally

• 方向・方角・方位 are 1-dimensional; the specificity increases in this order.
• 向き is mostly 0-dimensional (which way something is facing).
• 方面 is rather like around and 2-dimensional; 方 is similar but its usage is much more diverse.

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Some random samples:

• 方位 is used only when you determine a precise direction. {北方向,北の方角}に向かう are fine, but 方位 cannot be used here. (It may be possible for ships or planes though.)
• When the verb is static, 方 may be better. スーパーが北方向にある is less natural than スーパーが北のほうにある＝ There is a supermarket to the north.
• For maps, 新宿方面 may be more common because the direction is usually just towards, not necessarily leading to. 新宿方向 is fine if you are on a line where 新宿 is on it (e.g. Chuo-Sobu Line).
• 向き usually talks about which way the subject is facing. 北向き＝facing to the north.
• For a figurative area meaning, 方面 is most regular, but 方 can be used and even 方向 to a lesser extent. E.g., 医学{方面, の方, ?方向}に進んだ；医学{方面, の方, ×方向}に興味がある.

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FYI. There is a known confusion when talking about directions of winds. If one says 北向きの風, logically it is a wind facing to the north, so coming from the south. But it does not give a warm impression at all. Some people on the web claim that 北風 is the only option, but at least I believe 北向きの風 does NOT sound outright wrong to most speakers and sounds like cold wind.