Compass Rose 16 Point — free printable diagram

What the 16 points of a compass rose mean

This is a 16-point compass rose. Reading clockwise from the top it shows N, NNE, NE, ENE, E, ESE, SE, SSE, S, SSW, SW, WSW, W, WNW, NW, NNW, with 22.5° of turn between one point and the next.

Points on this rose

16

Clockwise from north

N · NNE · NE · ENE · E · ESE · SE · SSE · S · SSW · SW · WSW · W · WNW · NW · NNW

Turn between neighbouring points

22.5°

Cardinal directions

North, East, South, West

Bearing of each cardinal

N 0° (or 360°) · E 90° · S 180° · W 270°

Intercardinal directions

North-east, south-east, south-west, north-west — halfway between the cardinals, at 45°, 135°, 225° and 315°

The eight extra points

NNE, ENE, ESE, SSE, SSW, WSW, WNW, NNW — each halfway between a cardinal and an intercardinal

• A compass rose shows which way is which on a map. The four cardinal directions are north, east, south, west — and reading them clockwise from the top of the map gives them in exactly that order, which is what the mnemonic "Never Eat Shredded Wheat" is for.
• Every point on a rose is an equal turn from the next. With 16 points that turn is 360° ÷ 16 = 22.5°, which is why a 16-point rose can describe a direction to within 22.5°.
• North on a map is not the same as north in the room. Maps are drawn with north at the top by convention, so a compass rose tells you how the map is oriented, and it is the rose rather than the top of the page that you read a direction from.
• The intercardinal (or ordinal) directions sit exactly between two cardinals and are named after both, nearer one first: north-east is between north and east, at 45°. That naming rule is what lets a 16-point rose add NNE — "north-north-east", between north and north-east.