cardinal direction
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cardinal direction
One of the main or intermediate directions on the Earth's surface that is used for orientation. The four main cardinal directions are north, east, south, and west.
Der Wind weht aus westlicher Himmelsrichtung.
The wind is blowing from a westerly direction.
The word is made up of 'Himmel' (sky/heaven) and 'Richtung' (direction). It describes directions that people used to determine based on the position of the sun and stars in the sky.
Mit einem Kompass kann man die Himmelsrichtung leicht bestimmen.
With a compass, you can easily determine the cardinal direction.
The expression 'in alle Himmelsrichtungen' means 'in all possible directions' or 'everywhere.' It is often used to describe scattering or wide distribution.
Nach der Explosion flogen die Trümmer in alle Himmelsrichtungen.
After the explosion, the debris flew in all directions.
The preposition 'aus' (from) is used to indicate origin, for example with wind. The preposition 'in' (in/to) describes movement toward a destination.
Der Sturm kam aus nördlicher Himmelsrichtung.
The storm came from a northerly direction.
direction
'die Richtung' and 'die Himmelsrichtung' both have to do with orientation. 'die Richtung' is general: it can say where someone is going, driving, or pointing. 'die Himmelsrichtung' is more precise and means north, south, east, west, or an intermediate direction. Learners may confuse the words because you can use both when asking for directions or orientation. If you are only saying where something is going, 'Richtung' is enough. If you mean orientation on a map or with a compass, 'Himmelsrichtung' is more precise.
Auf der Karte zeigt Lisa die Himmelsrichtung Norden.
On the map, Lisa points to the cardinal direction north.
Nach der Brücke gehen wir in Richtung Bahnhof.
After the bridge, we go in the direction of the train station.