南

Pattern visualization

Examples

1. 沖縄は日本の南にあります。▶ —
   Okinawa is in the south of Japan.
2. 南向きの部屋は明るいです。▶ —
   A south-facing room is bright.

Collocations

Mnemonic

南 minami — forking into the onyomi なん, 南極, 南部, and 東南 all share one root. In Japanese real estate, 南向き — south-facing — is a premium: same floor space, the south room costs more. The metaphor of sunlight, warmth, and well-dried laundry is locked firmly into the vocabulary. The kanji 南 once pictured an inverted bell-instrument — the ritual direction for facing the gods became the word for the direction. Kanji-reading kin: 南 reads Korean 'nam', Mandarin nán.

Quick check

1. Why is 南向き a real-estate premium in Japan?

   • Sunlight all day → light, warmth, laundry drying advantage
   • North-facing is dangerous
   • Southern views are uniformly good
   • Cultural superstition