Chinese word

南

Pronunciation

Pinyinnán

Meaning

  • nounsouth

Example

我们向南走。wǒ men xiàng nán zǒu

We go south.

Illustration for 南 (south)

More examples

我的家在南边。wǒ de jiā zài nán biān

My home is in the south.

Core concept

A compass direction marking the southern side of a place or the path toward it.

Common phrases

  • 在南边zài nán biān

    in the south

  • 南方nán fāng

    the south

Similar words

北běi: The northern direction or the northern side of a place.
东dōng: The eastern direction or the eastern side of a place.
西xī: The western direction or the western side of a place.

Definition in Chinese

表示方位名，指与北相对的方向，即人们说的南方或向南的方向，可作为方位词或地名构成要素。biǎo shì fāng wèi míng zhǐ yǔ běi xiāng duì de fāng xiàng jí rén men shuō de nán fāng huò xiàng nán de fāng xiàng kě zuò wéi fāng wèi cí huò dì míng gòu chéng yào sù

Word origin

南 (nán, "south") is an old Chinese directional word whose written form changed over time while its basic meaning stayed the same.

Usage tips

  • In Chinese, a direction often joins a short action phrase, as in 向南走 (xiàng nán zǒu, "walk south"), instead of standing alone.

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word