Writing
南 (nán) — how to say "south" in Chinese
南
South
locative word
How to use it
Goes after the noun, not before it.
城市南有条河。
chéng shì nán yǒu tiáo hé
There is a river south of the city.
Radicals / Keys
十
Ten
#24 · shí · 2 strokes
Collocations
往南走
wǎng nán zǒu
go south
南边
nánbiān
south side
Examples
冬天的时候，很多北方人会去南方过冬。
In winter, many people from the north go south for the winter.
广州在中国的南方。
Guangzhou is in the south of China.
Mnemonic
[nán-] Nancy the Navigator stands on a giant compass, tracing a path over the horizontal line [十] at its center, pointing decisively toward the south 南 🌏. "All adventures lead 南 to the south!" she exclaims, with her trusty compass in hand.
Frequently asked questions
How to say south in Mandarin?
"south" in Chinese is 南 (nán).
南 meaning in English
南 (nán) means "South".
How is 南 pronounced?
It is pronounced nán (written as nan). You can listen to the pronunciation on this page.
South in Chinese character
It is written 南 and has 9 strokes. The Writing section above animates the stroke order and lets you trace it.
What HSK level is 南?
南 belongs to the HSK 3 vocabulary list.
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