How to Say "South Africa" in Chinese

南非

Nánfēi

南非 (Nánfēi) is the Chinese way to say South Africa.

南非 is used to refer to the country of South Africa.

Meaning: country (name)

What does it mean word for word?

The name is a contraction of 南, which means south and 非, which is the first character of the transliteration for Africa, 非洲.

Nánfēi

In Chinese calligraphy, the character 南 (south) is a complex structure that originally depicted a sun over a fence, reflecting ancient ways of determining direction.
Because 非 can also mean 'not' or 'wrong' in many other Chinese contexts, a listener who misses the geographical context might momentarily hear a phrase that sounds like 'South is wrong'.
The phrase 南非 is a 'clipped' name. While many foreign place names in Chinese are long phonetic transliterations, this name is shortened to just two characters for efficiency.

南非很远。
South Africa is far away.
This sentence is useful for describing distance.
Tatoeba #404631 by GlossaMatik, translation #404626 by CM
巴蘇陀蘭的景色崎嶇壯麗，別具一格，與我見過的南非其他地方都截然不同。
The scenery of Basutoland is rugged and grand, with a beauty quite its own, and unlike any other part of South Africa I have seen.
This sentence is useful for comparing different parts of South Africa.
Tatoeba #13573155 by LeviHighway, translation #11585912 by Cangarejo
南非近 70 萬名高中生一直熱切期盼著本週公布他們的畢業考試成績，大學會根據這些成績來決定學生可以進入哪個專業學習。
South Africa’s nearly 700,000 high-schoolers had been eagerly awaiting this week’s announcement of their matriculation exam grades, scores used by universities to determine which program of study a student is admitted to.
This sentence is useful for discussing South African high-schoolers and their exams.
Tatoeba #13573457 by LeviHighway, translation #12090732 by Cangarejo
我喜欢南非的野生动物。
I like the wildlife in South Africa.
我们计划下个月去南非旅行。
We are planning a trip to South Africa next month.
2 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are discussing their future travel plans.

志强 Zhiqiang

你想去南非旅游吗？
Nǐ xiǎng qù Nánfēi lǚyóu ma?
Do you want to travel to South Africa?
雨婷 Yuting

我想去，但那里太远了。
Wǒ xiǎng qù, dàn nàlǐ tài yuǎn le.
I want to, but it is too far.
志强 Zhiqiang

听说南非的自然景观很美。
Tīngshuō Nánfēi de zìrán jǐngguān hěn měi.
I heard the natural scenery in South Africa is beautiful.
雨婷 Yuting

那是真的，我想去看野生动物。
Nà shì zhēnde, wǒ xiǎng qù kàn yěshēng dòngwù.
That's true, I want to go see wild animals.

Sources

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