Explore each form from the oldest known stage to today.
The character 南 (nán) originally depicted a hanging percussion instrument in oracle bone script, possibly a bell or chime set. Over time, its meaning shifted through bronze script to clerical script, eventually being borrowed phonetically to represent 'south' - the direction where warm winds come from and where ancient Chinese rulers faced during rituals. The character evolved from a pictograph of a musical instrument to its modern directional meaning through semantic extension and phonetic loan. Arrived in Japan: The character 南 arrived in Japan during the 5th-6th centuries CE, along with the broader introduction of Chinese writing system (kanji) through Buddhist texts and cultural exchange with the Korean peninsula and China. It became part of the Japanese writing system during the Asuka and Nara periods.