Several parts combine into one character.

Another phonetic loan with non-obvious origin. Oracle bone 南 originally pictured a bell-shaped musical instrument or bronze vessel — a craft associated with the southern regions of ancient China. The character was reborrowed phonetically to write the cardinal direction "south", and the original instrument-meaning faded. Identical across 繁體 / 新字体 / 简体.

Mandarin: nán, rising 2nd tone. 南方 (nánfāng, the South — culturally important in Chinese as the Yangtze region differs from northern China in cuisine, dialect, climate), 南北 (nánběi, north-south), 南京 (Nánjīng, Nanjing — "Southern Capital", historic capital of multiple dynasties), 江南 (Jiāngnán, the lower Yangtze region — culturally rich southern China). 指南 (zhǐnán, "pointing south" → guide / compass) — the magnetic compass was historically called a "south-pointing needle" because it was used to find south.

Japanese: on-reading ナン (nan) for compounds — 南極 (Nankyoku, South Pole / Antarctic), 南北 (nanboku, north-south), 東南アジア (Tōnan Ajia, Southeast Asia), 南半球 (Minamihankyū, Southern Hemisphere). Less common ナ (na) in Buddhist names. Kun-reading みなみ (minami) is the everyday word — 南 (minami, south), 南口 (minamiguchi, south entrance — a station fixture).

Korea's Gangnam (江南) — the southern district of Seoul south of the Han River — uses these characters; the global hit "Gangnam Style" gave this character district-name worldwide recognition.

Memory aid: a bell-shaped instrument from the south — the cardinal direction borrowed from craft.