南 — Kanji Meaning, Readings & Example Words (JLPT N5)
What it means
南 means south — the direction, plain and simple. You'll meet it in two main roles: as a standalone direction word (南, みなみ, "the south") and as a building block inside compounds about places and regions (南極 "the South Pole," 南米 "South America," 東南アジア "Southeast Asia"). Whenever you spot 南 in a word, you can safely bet it points southward, which makes it a friendly, predictable kanji to learn.
It's also part of a set you should learn as a group: 東西南北 (east-west-south-north), the four cardinal directions. Japanese lists them in that fixed order, so 東西南北 (とう・ざい・なん・ぼく) is worth memorizing as a single chant.
Readings
| Type | Reading | Used in |
|---|---|---|
| kun'yomi | みなみ | 南 (south), 南口 (みなみぐち, south exit) |
| on'yomi | ナン | 南極 (なんきょく, South Pole), 南米 (なんべい, South America), 東南 (とうなん, southeast) |
| on'yomi | ナ | 南無 (なむ) — rare, in Buddhist phrases |
Here's the rule of thumb that works for most kanji: the kun'yomi (みなみ) shows up when the kanji stands alone or names a direction in everyday speech, while the on'yomi (ナン) appears inside two-kanji compound words. So 南 on its own is みなみ, but 南極 flips to ナン. The reading ナ is rare and mostly turns up in fixed Buddhist expressions like 南無.
Stroke order & radical
- Strokes: 9, written top to bottom — start with the short horizontal stroke and the vertical at the top, then build the box-like frame and finish with the strokes tucked inside.
- Radical: 南 is classified under the 十 "ten" radical (じゅう), which is the small cross you can see peeking out at the very top. The rest of the character forms an enclosed shape around the bottom, so a handy way to picture it is a little frame standing under that top cross.
Recognizing the 十 on top gives you a stable landmark when you write 南 from memory — start with that cross and the rest follows.
Common words using 南
Notice the reading split in action: the lone direction word 南 takes みなみ, while every compound (南北, 南米, 南極, 東南アジア) flips to ナン. That's the rule of thumb above, working exactly as advertised. The one to watch is 南口 — even though it's a compound, the station-exit words keep the kun'yomi みなみ (みなみぐち), so it stays みなみ.
Example sentences
ヤッタンは駅の南口で先生を待っています。
ヤッタンは えきの みなみぐちで せんせいを まっています。
Yattan is waiting for the teacher at the station's south exit.
南口 — the kun'yomi みなみ reading (みなみぐち).
モチは南極のペンギンの写真を見せてくれた。
モチは なんきょくの ペンギンの しゃしんを みせてくれた。
Mochi showed me a photo of penguins from the South Pole.
南極 — the on'yomi ナン reading, as in compounds.
弟は「東西南北、ぜんぶ言える」と先生に言いました。
おとうとは「とうざいなんぼく、ぜんぶ いえる」と せんせいに いいました。
My little brother told the teacher, I can say all of them — east, west, south, north.
東西南北 — the four directions as a set; here 南 reads ナン inside the chant.
Quick recap
- 南 = south; 9 strokes; built on the 十 "ten" radical.
- みなみ when it stands alone (南) or names a station exit (南口); ナン in most compounds (南極, 南米, 東南).
- Learn it with the set 東西南北 (east-west-south-north) and you'll lock in all four directions at once.
Your turn
Choose the correct reading of 南 in each word.
Start the 5-question drill →Frequently asked questions
How do you read 南 by itself vs in 南極?
On its own, 南 is the kun'yomi みなみ ('south'). In the compound 南極 it's the on'yomi ナン (南極 = なんきょく, 'the South Pole'). As a rule, two-kanji compounds take the on'yomi.
How many strokes does 南 have?
南 has 9 strokes. It's classified under the 十 'ten' radical — the small cross at the very top of the character — which is a useful starting point when writing it.
Why does 南口 keep the みなみ reading?
Station-exit words attach 口 ('mouth/exit') to a direction and keep the everyday kun'yomi, so 南口 reads みなみぐち, not なんこう. You'll see the same pattern in 北口 (きたぐち) and 東口 (ひがしぐち).
What is 東西南北?
東西南北 (とうざいなんぼく) is the set phrase for the four cardinal directions — east, west, south, north — listed in that fixed order. Learning it as one chant helps you remember all four direction kanji together.