南 in Chinese / Japanese...

南 means south or southern.

In Chinese, this is also a surname that romanizes as Nan.

In Japanese, it can also be the given names Mimi, Minamihama, Minamitate, Minami, Mina, Miumi, Hinata, Nantetsu, or Namuchoru. It can be the Japanese surnames Nanzaki, Nan, Namu, Nami, or Takaminami.

布南 is the name Brenan in Chinese (Mandarin).

科南 is the name Cohnen in Chinese (Mandarin).

柯南 is the name Conan in Chinese (Mandarin).

康南 is the name Connan in Chinese (Mandarin).

達南 is the name Danan in Chinese (Mandarin).

基南 is the name Keenan in Chinese (Mandarin).

This is a common Mandarin Chinese transliteration for the male French name Kénan or Kenan.

柯南 is the name Konan in Chinese (Mandarin).

南奇 is the name Nanci in Chinese (Mandarin).

南茜 is the name Nancy in Chinese (Mandarin).

南大 is the name Nanda in Chinese (Mandarin).

南多 is the name Nando in Chinese (Mandarin).

南京 is the title of Nanking or Nanjing.

This literally means southern capital. Nanjing was, at various times in history, the capital of China.

Nanjing is currently the capital of Jiangsu province. During WWII, it was the site of a massacre by invading Japanese troops.

Nanking is just an alternate romanization of these characters, in the same way that Peking is the alternate for Beijing. The real pronunciation in Mandarin is closer to Nanjing than Nanking.

南妮 is the name Nannie in Chinese (Mandarin).

南瑞 is the name Nari in Chinese (Mandarin).

勒南 is the name Renan in Chinese (Mandarin).

雷南 is the name Reynan in Chinese (Mandarin).

羅南 is the name Ronan in Chinese (Mandarin).

山南 is the name Shannan in Chinese (Mandarin).

This is the Chinese name for the country of South Africa.

This is the Chinese name for the continent of South America.

南韓 is the common Chinese name for the country of South Korea.

The official English name being Republic of Korea.

This is the Chinese, old Korean Hanja, and Japanese Kanji name for the country of Vietnam.

阿南德 is the name Aanand in Chinese (Mandarin).

阿達南 is the name Adanan in Chinese (Mandarin).

阿德南 is the name Adnan in Chinese (Mandarin).

阿南德 is the name Anand in Chinese (Mandarin).

阿南達 is the name Ananda in Chinese (Mandarin).

阿南德 is the name Anandh in Chinese (Mandarin).

布倫南 is the name Brennan in Chinese (Mandarin).

布倫南 is the name Brennen in Chinese (Mandarin).

布坎南 is the name Buchanan in Chinese (Mandarin).

This is the most-common transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Ferdinand.

費爾南 is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the Latin / Spanish name Fernán.

This is a common Mandarin Chinese transliteration for the male Portuguese/Latin name Fernão or Fernao.

埃爾南 is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the Latin / Spanish name Hernan.

南妮特 is the name Nanette in Chinese (Mandarin).

南國拳 means Southern Kingdom Fist in Chinese.

I don't know if this is a widely-known style of martial arts. I added it because people were searching my website for it.

This is the Chinese name for the country of Suriname.

阿比南丹 is the name Abhinandan in Chinese (Mandarin).

This is a less-common but more verbose transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the name Ferdinand.

費爾南塔 is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the Latin / Spanish name Fernanda.

This is a common Mandarin Chinese transliteration for the female French name Fernande.

費爾南多 is the transliteration to Mandarin Chinese for the Latin / Spanish name Fernando.

南山之壽 is a wish for long life for someone. The first part of this Japanese phrase is “Nan Zan,” which means “south mountain.” This mountain is one of the good wishes, good fortune, and prosperity. The title is often used as a salutation of good wishes.

The third Kanji is just a connector, and the last Kanji means long life or longevity.

I guess you could translate this phrase as “May your life be as long as Nan Zan is tall.”

南丁格爾 is the name Nightingale in Chinese (Mandarin).

普拉南達 is the name Prananda in Chinese (Mandarin).

索南伯格 is the name Sonnenberg in Chinese (Mandarin).

南派螳螂 can be translated literally as “Southern School Praying Mantis” or “Southern Style Praying Mantis.”

Despite its name, the Southern Praying Mantis style of Chinese martial arts is unrelated to the Northern Praying Mantis style. Southern Praying Mantis is instead related most closely to fellow Hakka styles such as Dragon and more distantly to the Fujian family of styles that includes Fujian White Crane, Five Ancestors, and Wing Chun.

This style of martial arts focuses more on fighting skills rather than aesthetics.

Of course, you already knew that if you were looking for this term.

Note: This title can be pronounced and does have meaning in Korean but only to Koreans familiar with Chinese martial arts.

南無三寶 means to take refuge in the three treasures (of Buddhism).

This starts with the phonetic “南無” or “Namo/Namu” trying to sound like the original Pali or Sanskrit, followed by “三寶” being more literally the three treasures.

韋南西奧 is the name Venancio in Chinese (Mandarin).

費爾南德斯 is the name Fernandes in Chinese (Mandarin).

費爾南德斯 is the name Fernandez in Chinese (Mandarin).

This is the a common way to transliterate the surname Hernandez into Mandarin Chinese.

南無大菩薩 means to submit to or pay homage to the great Bodhisattva.

The last three characters, 大菩薩, can mean bodhisattva-mahāsattva, refer to one who has reached enlightenment but vows to save all beings before becoming a buddha or a high and noble monk.

This is South Africa in Japanese.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Katakana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

南アメリカ is the more common way to write South America in Japanese.

Note: Because this selection contains some special Japanese Katakana characters, it should be written by a Japanese calligrapher.

南無阿彌陀佛 is how to express “The Compassionate Amitabha Buddha” (especially for the Pure Land Buddhist Sect).

Some will translate as “Homage to Amitâbha Buddha” or “I seek refuge in the Amitâbha Buddha.”

This is valid in Chinese characters, Japanese Kanji, and old Korean Hanja.

Sometimes modern Japanese use a different version of the 4th and last Kanji, but the version shown here is the most universal.

This is used to pay homage to Amitabha Buddha.

南無阿弥陀仏 is the modern Japanese version of “Namu Amida Butsu” or “The Compassionate Amitabha Buddha.”

Some will translate this as “I sincerely believe in Amitabha; Lord have mercy on me.”

This phrase especially applies to Japanese Pure Land Buddhists.

There is a universal version using ancient characters (with more strokes) for the 4th and last characters. That version is also used in Chinese, Korean, and occasionally Vietnamese. This is used to pay homage to Amitabha Buddha.

南無觀音菩薩 is the title Namo Guanyin Pusa in Chinese or Namu/Namo Kannon Bosatsu in Japanese.

This can also translate as Namo Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva.

Note: Sometimes written 南無觀世音菩薩 (just the addition of 世) making it Námó Guānshìyīn Púsà.

南無釋迦牟尼佛 is a Buddhist chant or prayer of respect to the Shakyamuni Buddha.

Some will translate this as the Buddhist vow.

The first two characters, 南無, are sometimes translated as “amen”; others will translate it as “belief in” or “homage to.”
To expand on this, 南無 can also mean “taking of refuge in” while representing devotion or conviction. 南無 as with most religious concepts or words, different people or denominations will have varying definitions.

南無觀世音菩薩 means homage to the Bodhisattva Avalokitêśvara in Chinese and Japanese.

The 4th character of this homage or chant can be dropped, making it 南無觀音菩薩 or “Namo Guanyin Pusa.”

福如東海壽比南山 is a phrase that means “May you have good fortune as great as the eastern oceans, and may your life last as long as the southern mountains.”

In ancient Chinese mythology, the eastern oceans and southern mountains are where God resides (basically it is the same as saying “heaven”). So it's like saying, “May your good fortune and life be as vast as the heavens.”

There is also a longer, 14-character version of this phrase. Also, this can be cut into two scrolls (with half the phrase on each side - great for hanging on either side of a doorway). Just let me know if you'd like a special version (there is an additional cost).

南無妙法蓮華經 is sometimes translated as the “Devotion to the Law of the Lotus Flower Scripture.”

This is a meditation chant and homage to the Lotus Sutra, used by Nichiren Buddhists in Japan.
This is also a chant used in China by certain sects of Buddhism that celebrate the deity Guanyin.

Also romanized as “Nam Myōhō Renge Kyō” or without accents as “Nam Myoho Renge Kyo.”

Modern
Japanese
Variant

Original
Traditional
Version

The last character was originally written as seen on the left. Sometimes, you will see it written in the Japanese variant form as shown on the right. If you want this Japanese variant, click on the "Modern Japanese Variant" text instead of the button up by the main title of this entry.