南 – JLPT N5 Kanji, Kanji for south (With 3D Visualization)
Kanji for south
Fast lookup with examples and clean stroke-order visualization.
Experience 南 in 3D! View the complete 3D Kanji model to understand its shape and stroke depth from every angle. Click the button below to see 南 in 3D and explore how each stroke forms this character.
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南
- Meanings
- south
- Onyomi
- ナ, ナン
- Kunyomi
- みなみ
- Name Readings
- なみ, は, みな, みまみ
- JLPT
- N5
- Grade
- 2
- Frequency
- -
- Kanji Writing Practice
- Practice
Stroke Order
Story
The kanji 南 was originally a picture of a kind of ancient musical instrument — a hanging frame used in ceremonies. Over time, this image was borrowed to represent the direction “south,” because ancient maps often placed the south at the top, where such instruments and rituals were performed under the sun. The south was seen as the direction of warmth, music, and sunlight — a bright and lively place.
Short Story
Once showing a ceremonial instrument used under the sun, 南 came to mean “south,” the warm, bright direction filled with sunlight.
Mnemonic
Picture yourself standing in the sunlight, hearing soft music carried by the warm southern breeze — that’s 南, the kanji for south, the direction of warmth and brightness.
Vocabulary Examples
| Word | Reading | Meaning | Meta |
|---|---|---|---|
| 南 | みなみ | south | common JLPT-N5 Noun |
| 南 | ナン | south wind tile | Noun |
| 南極 | なんきょく | South Pole | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 南米 | なんべい | South America | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 南北 | なんぼく | north and south, north to south | common JLPT-N2 Noun |
| 南瓜 | かぼちゃ | pumpkin (Cucurbita sp.), squash | common Noun |
| 南極大陸 | なんきょくたいりく | Antarctica | Noun |
| 南北戦争 | なんぼくせんそう | American Civil War (1861-1865) | Noun |
| 南部 | なんぶ | southern part, the south (of a region) | common Noun |
| 南東 | なんとう | southeast | common Noun, Noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no' |