Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 南 | nán | /nän³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nan²¹/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 南方 | nánfāng | /nän³⁵ fɑŋ⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) /nan²¹ faŋ⁵⁵/ (Mandarin, Chengdu, Sinological IPA) |
|
| 南 | lâm | /lam²¹³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Changtai, Singapore, Philippines, Sinological IPA, General Taiwanese, Yongchun) /lam²³/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Jinjiang, Nan'an, Hui'an, Zhangpu, Changtai, Singapore, Philippines, Sinological IPA, Kaohsiung, General Taiwanese, Yongchun) |
Hokkien |
The word refers to the compass point or the direction of south. You can use it as an adjective to mean 'of or pertaining to the south'. To express the southern side or southern direction in spoken Mandarin, it is very common to add the suffix 边 (biān) to 南 to mean 'the south side' or 'the southern direction,' resulting in 南边.
Which one should you use?
Use 南 to refer to the compass point or direction, whereas 南方 refers more broadly to the southern region or the south as a geographical area.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In Hokkien, the word for south is 南, pronounced lâm. In Dungan, the word is нан and the form нанфон is also used.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
To form other compass points, you combine 南 with other directions, such as 西 (west) to make 西南 (southwest).
How do you pronounce it?
The Hokkien form 南 is pronounced lâm.
Did you know?
- The character 南 may have originally depicted a lidded cylindrical vessel for holding meat sauce, rather than a direction.
- Ancient Chinese emperors always sat facing 南 when presiding over their courts to symbolize their role as the provider of light and warmth.
- In traditional Chinese cosmology, the direction 南 is associated with the element of fire and the color red.
Examples in context
- 最大的卧室朝南。The largest bedroom faces south.This sentence uses 南 to describe a bedroom facing a direction.Tatoeba #1454453 by sadhen, translation #680923 by Source_VOA
- 萨米是从南边来的。Sami is from the South.This sentence uses 南 to describe someone coming from the South.Tatoeba #7704609 by leafjensen, translation #7250367 by OsoHombre
- 去南韓的機票多少錢？How much is a plane ticket to South Korea?This sentence uses 南 as part of the name for South Korea.Tatoeba #13519205 by LeviHighway, translation #13185723 by atitarev
- 南方的冬天比北方的冬天温暖。Winters in the south are warmer than winters in the north.
- 42 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Haoran and Jiayi are looking at a map together.
- 浩然 Haoran我们要往南走吗？Wǒmen yào wǎng nán zǒu ma?Do we need to go south?
- 佳怡 Jiayi是的，目的地在南边。Shì de, mùdìdì zài nánbiān.Yes, the destination is to the south.
- 浩然 Haoran这里离南边很远吗？Zhèlǐ lí nánbiān hěn yuǎn ma?Is it very far from here to the south?
- 佳怡 Jiayi不远，走十分钟就到了。Bù yuǎn, zǒu shí fēnzhōng jiù dào le.Not far, it takes ten minutes to walk there.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “south” translations and entries 南, 南方, 南, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 南, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
