A permanent magnet has two ends, called poles. One is the north pole (north-seeking pole) and the other is the south pole (south-seeking pole). The poles are where the magnetic force is strongest.
Magnets exert a force on each other without touching, so magnetic forces are non-contact forces. Like poles repel: north repels north and south repels south. Unlike poles attract: a north pole and a south pole pull towards each other.
You can show this with a bar magnet hung from a thread so that it can swing freely. Bring the end of a second magnet close. If the hanging magnet swings towards it, the poles are unlike. If it swings away, the poles are alike.
The magnetic field pattern around a bar magnet shows the same thing. Between a north pole and a south pole facing each other the field lines run from one to the other, so the magnets attract. Between two like poles the field lines push apart and do not join up, so the magnets repel.