南 Kanji: Meaning, Readings and Stroke Order

南: south. JLPT N5; 9 strokes.

Readings

On readings

ナン、ナ

Kun readings

みなみ

Romaji

nan, na, minami

Study notes

南 means 'south'.

On readings: ナン in 南極 (なんきょく, South Pole), 南米 (なんべい, South America), 南北 (なんぼく, north and south), 南東 (なんとう, southeast). ナ is rare and appears in Buddhism in 南無 (なむ, devotion formula).

Kun reading: みなみ, 'south': 南口 (みなみぐち, south exit of a station), 南側 (みなみがわ, south side), 南半球 (みなみはんきゅう, southern hemisphere).

Special readings: 南瓜 (かぼちゃ, pumpkin) is read as a whole word.

Remember: at major stations, exits are named after cardinal points: 東口 (ひがしぐち), 西口 (にしぐち), 南口 (みなみぐち), 北口 (きたぐち).

Example words

• 南口 (みなみぐち) — south exit
• 南米 (なんべい) — South America
• 南 (みなみ) — south

Example sentences

家は駅の南です。

ie wa eki no minami desu.

My house is south of the station.

Stroke order

Follow the steps in order. Each new stroke is highlighted.

Stroke paths: KanjiVG, CC BY-SA 3.0. Sequential diagrams derived from the original paths.