南
south
nán
What does 南 mean?
南 (nán) is the noun and direction word for 'south.' It pairs with 北 (north), 东 (east), and 西 (west) to form the four cardinal directions. Two facts about Chinese direction words English speakers should learn.
First, the conventional order in Chinese is 东南西北 (east-south-west-north), not the English 'north, south, east, west' — and when Chinese pairs two directions, south usually comes first: 南北 ('south-north,' as in 南北方向 'north-south direction') and 东南 ('southeast'), not 北南 or 南东. Second, China's geography is strongly south-vs-north culturally: 南方 (the South) means everything below the Yangtze River and is associated with rice, sweet food, and humidity, while 北方 (the North)
Character breakdown
south
Memory hook: 南 historically pictured a bronze bell that hung on the south side of an ancient hall — south became associated with the character.
Example sentences
我家在城市的南边。
Wǒ jiā zài chéngshì de nánbian.
My home is on the south side of the city.
neutral
南方的天气比北方暖和。
Nánfāng de tiānqì bǐ běifāng nuǎnhuo.
The weather in the south is warmer than in the north.
neutral
请往南走五百米。
Qǐng wǎng nán zǒu wǔbǎi mǐ.
Please go south for 500 meters.
polite
他是南方人，爱吃米饭。
Tā shì nánfāng rén, ài chī mǐfàn.
He's a southerner and loves rice.
spoken
南京在上海的西边。
Nánjīng zài Shànghǎi de xībian.
Nanjing is west of Shanghai.
neutral
Common phrases with 南
Synonyms
南方 specifically means 'the southern region' as a geographic area — used for 'people from the south' (南方人) or 'southern China.' 南 alone is the bare direction word, used in compounds and on signs.