南なん西せい

also: みなみにし

な

ん

せ

い

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

noun, noun which may take the genitive case particle 'no'

southwest

Refers to the direction southwest, or something located in the southwest. Can be used as a noun or with の to modify another noun.

風かぜは南なん西せいから吹ふいている。
The wind is blowing from the southwest.
南なん西せいの方ほう向こうに進すすんでください。
Please head in a southwest direction.

See all 11 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈場ば所しょ〉の南なん西せいに位い置ちするto be located to the southwest of 〈place〉
その島しまは本ほん土どの南なん西せいに位い置ちしている。
The island is located to the southwest of the mainland.
南なん西せいの風かぜa wind blowing from the southwest
今日きょうは南なん西せいの風かぜが強つよく吹ふいている。
A strong southwest wind is blowing today.

Kanji

南south
西west, Spain

Related words

西せい南なん
南西 and 西南 both mean 'southwest', but 南西 is the standard term for compass directions in everyday Japanese, while 西南 tends to appear in place names, historical terms, and literary usage.

Opposites

北ほく東とうN1
南西 (southwest) and 北東 (northeast) point in exactly opposite compass directions.
東とう北ほく
南西 (southwest) is the compass direction directly opposite 東北 (northeast).

Don't confuse with

南なん東とうN1
南西 (southwest) and 南東 (southeast) share the kanji 南 and are easy to mix up, but they differ by 90 degrees.
北ほく西せいN1
南西 (southwest) and 北西 (northwest) share the kanji 西 and are easy to mix up, but they differ by 90 degrees.

Word family

南なん南なん西せい
south-southwest
南なん西せい部ぶ
southwestern part; the southwest
西せい南なん西せい
west-southwest

Written forms

南西Usage100%
- なんせい
  Standard kanji spelling; the most common reading is なんせい.
- みなみにし
  Alternate reading; less common than なんせい, but may appear in some contexts or older usage.
みなみにし

Etymology

Compound of 南 (south) and 西 (west). The reading なんせい is the standard Sino-Japanese on'yomi combination, while みなみにし uses the native kun'yomi readings.