南

nán
HSK 3
#307 most
frequent character
south
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

南 first showed a musical instrument and meant that instrument. The sense 'south' was borrowed only for the sound, with no link to the picture. So today's common meaning comes from that sound loan.

Drawn as: musical instrument

南 as a component in other characters

sound6 characters
献喃楠罱蝻腩

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Example Sentences

我住在南边。
wǒ zhùzài nánbiān 。
I live in the south.
我们去南方旅行。
wǒmen qù nánfāng lǚxíng 。
We are traveling to the south.
南风带来了温暖的天气。
nán fēng dàilái le wēnnuǎn de tiānqì 。
The south wind brings warm weather.

Same Characters, Different Readings

南nā
used in 南無|南无[na1mo2], Taiwan pr. [na2]

Words with similar meanings

南方nánfāng
south
A more formal or complete term for south, often used to refer to the southern regions.

Homophones

HSK 3
难nán
difficult (to...), problem
男nán
Man

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Public Lists with 南

Weather & Climate
Describing temperature, precipitation, seasons, forecasts, and related terms.
Directions & Location
Above, below, left, right, inside, outside, near, far, north, south, etc.
HSK 3
All words for the HSK 3 test