Japanese word

南

Pronunciation

Romajiminami

Meaning

  • nounsouth

Example

南はどちらですか？minami wa do chi ra de su ka

Which way is south?

Illustration for 南 (south)

More examples

駅の南に新しい公園があります。eki no minami ni atara shi i kō en ga a ri ma su

There is a new park south of the station.

Core concept

It points toward the southern part of a place or the Earth and serves as a reference for position and movement.

Common phrases

  • 南に行くminami ni i ku

    go south

  • 南から来るminami ka ra ku ru

    come from the south

Similar words

南方nanpō: A direction or area found in the south.
南側minamigawa: The part of a place positioned on the south side.
南部nanbu: A southern section of a country, region, or other large area.

Definition in Japanese

方位を表す四方向の一つで、北と反対に位置する方向。また、その方向にある地域。hō i o arawa su yon hō kō no hito tsu de kita to han tai ni i chi su ru hō kō ma ta so no hō kō ni a ru chi iki

Word origin

南 (minami, "south") comes from native Japanese vocabulary rather than a Sino-Japanese reading, and its kanji 南 was adopted from Chinese, giving the word two layers to remember.

Usage tips

  • The English idiom go south can mean that a situation worsens, but the Japanese noun 南 (minami, "south") keeps its basic directional meaning.

Opposites

Word lists with this word