character 方

Let us explore this character 方 which can be read in several ways.

Bung1	方	surname
huang1ngang5	方言	topolect, dialect
bag4hng1	北方	the north part of a country, the area north of the Yellow River in China
di7hng1	地方	region, area, place, territory
si3bang1	四方	square, four sided
si3huang1	四方	everywhere, in all directions

The only way to learn this character 方 and know how to say the correct pronunciation is through exposure.

Just one note: If one is not from Teochew or Swatow, one says the surname Bung1 方 and Beng1, similar to cooked rice been called bung7 飯 in Swatow and Teochew and in other places as beng7.