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I am very confused by the postcode differences between China and the UK. Would you mind giving some ideas on the abbreviation of the postcode, like NW2 3AL? Thanks!

Joanne, China

The UK has a system of postcodes but what are they used for?

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Unlike the Chinese system which uses numbers, British postcodes consist of both letters and numbers. What do they represent?

Here are a few examples: N7 6BS. SW12 9SN. W2 5EA. DA4 0BN. BT5 7QR.

Helen Hu and Feifei Feng speak to Chris Taft, the Curator of the British Postal Museum and Archive.

Postcode 邮政编码

Why do UK postcodes have both letters and numbers?

Chris explains how the codes help the postal system and what else they are useful for.

Find out how these codes help individuals and companies to find specific addresses and how they have changed the way the postal system works.

Learn all about this and more by listening to this programme.