8086 Addressing Modes

What is the Addressing Mode ?

add dest, source ; dest
+source→dest
add ax,bx ; ax
+bx→ax

The addressing mode means where and how

the CPU gets the operands when the
instruction is executed.
 Three types of 8086
addressing modes

• Immediate Addressing Mode

---CPU gets the operand from the instruction

• Register Addressing Mode

---CPU gets the operand from one of the internal registers

• Memory Addressing Mode

---CPU gets the operand from the memory location(s)
 1. Immediate Addressing Mode
Exp：
Exp：
MOV AL, 80H
80H MOV AX, 1234H
Machine code:
code:B080H
80H Machine code:B83412H

Instruction Queue

AH AL
Instruction Queue
AL 80H 12 34
B8
MACHINE
B0H MACHINE
34H
34 CODE
CODE
80H 12H
12
2. Register Addressing Mode
：MOV AX, CX
Exp：

Memory
AX

89
CX Machine code
C1
 3. Memory Addressing Mode

• Specify an offset address (effective address) using expressions of the

form (different parts of expression are optional):
– [ Base Register + Index Register+ Displacement]
• 1) Base Register---BX, BP
• 2) Index Register---SI, DI
• 3) Displacement ---constant value
• Example: 1) add ax,[20h] 2) add
ax,[bx]
3) add ax,[bx+20h] 4) add
ax, [bx+si]
5) add ax, [bx+si+20h]
 3. Memory Addressing Mode

⑴ Direct Addressing Mode

Exp: MOV AL, [1064H]
Machine code:A06410H

• The offset address of the operand is

provided in the instruction directly;
• The physical address can be calculated
using the content of DS and the offset :
PA = (DS)*10H+Offset
⑴ Direct Addressing Mode
Example: MOV AL, [1064h]
;Assume (DS)=2000H
Machine code: A06410H
A0 Code
（DS)*10H=20000H
64 Segment
+ 1064H
10
21064H

AL 45 20000H
Data
…
Segment
21064H
45
 3. Memory Addressing
Mode
⑵ Register Indirect Addressing Mode
• The address of memory location is in a
register (SI,DI,or BX only)

• The physical address is calculated using the

content of DS and the register(SI,DI,BX)

PA = (DS)*10H+(SI)/(DI)/(BX)
 ⑵ Register Indirect Addressing Mode
ASSUME: (DS)=3000H, (SI)=2000H, (BX)=1000H

MOV AX, [SI] MOV [BX], AL

(DS)*10H=30000H (DS)*10h= 30000H
M M
+ (SI)= 2000H + (BX)= 1000H
32000H 31000H

…
AX 30000H AL 30000H

40 50 64H
…

…
32000H 31000H
50 64H
40
⑶ Register Relative Addressing

(BX)
(BP)
EA= + Displacement
(DI)
(SI)

For physical address calculation:

DS is used for BX,DI,SI;
SS is used for BP

PA=(DS)*10H+(BX)/(DI)/(SI)+Disp
OR
PA=(SS)*10H+(BP)+Disp
⑶ Register Relative Addressing
MOV CL, [BX+1064H] ;assume: (DS)=2000h,
(bx)=1000h 8A
;Machine Code: 8A8F6410 Code
PA=(ds)*10h+(bx)+1064h 8F Segment

64
(DS)*10h= 20000H
(BX)= 1000H 10
+ 1064H
22064H 20000H

…
Data
CL 45 21000H Segment

…
22064H
45
⑷ Based Indexed Addressing

(BX) (DI)
EA= (BP) + (SI)

• Base register(bx or bp) determines which segment(data or stack) the operand

is stored;
• if using BX, the operand is defaultly located in Data segment,then:
PA=(DS)*10H+(BX)+(DI)/(SI)

• if using BP, the operand is defaultly located in stack segment,then:

PA=(SS)*10H+(BP)+(DI)/(SI)
⑷ Based Indexed Addressing

Example: MOV AH,

[BP][SI];Assume(ss)=4000h,(bp)=2000h,(si)=1200h
PA=(ss)*10h+(bp)+(si)
(SS)*10H= 40000H
(BP)= 2000H
M
+ (SI)= 1200H
43200H

…
AH 40000H
56H …
43200H
56H
⑸ Based Indexed Relative
Addressing
(BX) (DI)
EA= + + Displacement
(BP) (SI)

if using BX, the operand is defaultly located in Data segment,then:

PA=(DS)*10H+(BX)+(DI)/(SI)+disp

if using BP, the operand is defaultly located in stack segment,then:

PA=(SS)*10H+(BP)+(DI)/(SI)+disp
⑸ Based Indexed Relative
Addressing 88
Code
MOV [BX+DI+1234H], AH A1 segment

;assume (ds)=4000h,(bx)=0200h,(di)=0010h 34
;machine code:88A13412h
(DS)*10H=40000H 12
(BX)= 0200H
(DI)= 0010H
+ 1234H 40000H

41444H
…
Data
segment

AH 45 …
41444H
45
 Summary on the 8086 memory addressing modes
operand offset address Default Overridden
（effective address） Segment Register Segment Register

1. Direct Addressing [disp] disp DS CS ES SS

2. Register [BX]/[SI] /[DI] Content of the R DS CS ES SS

Indirect Addressing

3. Register [SI/DI/BX/BP+disp] (SI)/(DI)/(BX)/(BP)+disp DS CS ES SS

Relative Addressing

4. Based Indexed [BX+SI/DI] (BX)+disp DS CS ES SS

Addressing [BP+SI/DI] (BP)+disp SS CS ES DS

5. Based Indexed [BX+SI/DI+disp] (BX)+(SI)/(DI)+disp DS CS ES SS

Relative Addressing [BP+SI/DI+disp] (BP)+(SI)/(DI)+disp SS CS ES DS
Examples:
Assume: (BX)=6000H, (BP)=4000H, (SI)=2000H,
(DS)=3000H, (ES)=3500H, (SS)=5000H

Instruction addressing logical physical

mode address address
1. MOV AX, [0520H] Direct Addressing 3000：0520 30520H

2. MOV AX, [BX] Register Indirect Addressing 3000：6000 36000H

3. MOV AX, [SI+1000H] Register Relative Addressing 3000：3000 33000H

4. MOV AX, [BP+6060H] Register Relative Addressing 5000：A060 5A060H

5. MOV AX, ES: [BX+SI+0050H] Based Indexed Relative 3500：8050 3D050H

Addressing