Nanjing; Nanking
The city in China. The older romanization 'Nanking' is still sometimes seen in historical contexts.
Nanjing is a historic city in China.
Kansai dialect word for pumpkin/squash. In standard Japanese, カボチャ is used.
See also: かぼちゃ
In Kansai, pumpkin is sometimes called 南京.
Prefix used in a few old compound words to mean something small, rare, or cute. Not productive in modern Japanese.
The 南京 in 南京豆 (peanut) is an old usage that expresses something small and cute.
南京 (ナンキン) and 南瓜 (かぼちゃ) can both refer to pumpkin, but 南瓜 is the standard kanji spelling used nationwide while 南京 is a regional Kansai term for the same vegetable.
南京 read なんきょう is an archaic name for Nara, but the same kanji read なんきん refers to Nanjing in China (and appears in words like 南京錠 'padlock').
Standard kanji spelling for all senses.
Katakana spelling is common, especially for the city name and in dialectal or prefix uses.
From Chinese 南京 (Nánjīng), the city name. The dialectal meaning 'pumpkin' likely arose because the vegetable was introduced via China. The prefix uses derive from the association with things coming from or being like Nanjing/China.
Nanking porcelain; chinaware
nankeen satin
firecracker