南

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) is wheat country, salty food, and dry winters. Useful compounds include 南方 ('the south'), 南边 ('south side'), 南京 (Nanjing, 'southern capital'), and 越南 (Vietnam, 'crossing south').