南 nán — south · English

南

nán

south

At a glance · 南

Listen

Audio is synthesized in your browser: Mandarin for the character and Shuowen text, native voices for every translation. No downloads.

Evolution of the glyph

Five stages, from a sketch of the real object to regular script — tap a stage, drag the timeline, or play the animation.

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seen
Oracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCE
Seal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCE
Clerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CE
Regular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

Object sketchBefore writing · drawing what was seenOracle boneShang dynasty · c. 1300–1046 BCESeal scriptQin dynasty · 221–206 BCEClerical scriptHan dynasty · 206 BCE–220 CERegular scriptWei–Jin to Tang · c. 3rd–9th century CE

⚠ Some ancient forms are not attested：oracle bone form、seal script form。No excavated oracle bone / seal artifact is attested for this character yet; we leave it blank rather than fabricate.

甲骨文、金文象一种古老乐器（钟镈类）之形，象形，后借为方位名「南方」。隶楷作「南」。

What the sketch shows

Origins & notes

「南」本为乐器象形，假借为南方方位词。

Structure

象形字，象古代乐器之形；后假借为方位。

At a glance

Pinyinnán

Radical十

Strokes9

UnicodeU+5357

Character type象形

Theme地理

Six languages, one character

Each page offers hreflang versions; switching language keeps the glyphs and meanings aligned.

English south South (direction); originally a musical instrument.

Français sud Sud (direction); à l'origine un instrument.

Español sur Sur (dirección); originalmente un instrumento.

العربية جنوب جنوب (اتجاه)؛ كان آلة موسيقية.

Русский юг Юг (направление); изначально музыкальный инструмент.

Common words

南方nán fāngsouth
南nánsouth

◉ Listen