南アフリカ
Minami Afurika[mʲina̠mʲi a̠ɸɯ̟ɾʲika̠]
South Africa in Japanese is 南アフリカ (Minami Afurika). Wiktionary also lists 南ア (Nan'a).
Meaning: country (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 南アフリカ | Minami Afurika | [mʲina̠mʲi a̠ɸɯ̟ɾʲika̠] (narrow) |
| 南ア | Nan'a | [na̠ɰ̃ a̠] (narrow) |
The term is used to refer to the country of South Africa.
Which one should you use?
南アフリカ is the full name of the country, while 南ア is a common abbreviation used in casual speech or in news headlines.
How do you pronounce it?
Minami Afurika
Did you know?
- Japanese speakers often associate 南アフリカ with the word ラグビー because the national team's success is a major topic during the Rugby World Cup.
- The word 南 in 南アフリカ is the same character used in the name of the 南十字星, the Southern Cross constellation, which is a common point of interest in Japanese astronomy.
- In Japanese, the name 南アフリカ is written using one kanji and four katakana characters. This visual mix immediately signals to the reader that the word is a combination of a native Japanese direction and a foreign loanword.
Examples in context
- 南アフリカは遠い。South Africa is far away.This sentence is useful for describing the distance of 南アフリカ.Tatoeba #640529 by arihato, translation #404626 by CM
- これらのダイヤモンドは、南アフリカ産です。These diamonds are from South Africa.This sentence is useful for describing the origin of diamonds using 南アフリカ.Tatoeba #11049510 by small_snow, translation #5448581 by mailohilohi
- 南アフリカ政府は、もはや黒人に平等の公民権を求める運動を抑制できない。The government of South Africa can no longer suppress the movement to recognize equal rights for black people.This sentence is useful for discussing the government of 南アフリカ.Tatoeba #237390 by mookeee, translation #556754 by d_burfoot
- 来年、南アフリカに旅行を計画しています。I'm planning a trip to South Africa next year.
- 私の友達は南アフリカ出身です。My friend is from South Africa.
Example conversation
Hiyori and Daito are talking about their dream travel destinations.
- 陽葵 Himari大翔さんは、どこに旅行したいですか？Daito-san wa, doko ni ryokou shitai desu ka?Daito, where do you want to travel to?
- 大翔 Hiroto僕は南アフリカに行ってみたいです。Boku wa Minami Afurika ni itte mitai desu.I want to try visiting South Africa.
- 陽葵 Himari南アフリカですか！いいですね。Minami Afurika desu ka! Ii desu ne.South Africa! That sounds great.
- 大翔 Hiroto自然がとても綺麗そうだからです。Shizen ga totemo kirei sou dakara desu.Because the nature seems very beautiful there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “south africa” translations and entries 南アフリカ, 南ア, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
