Meaning of 东南
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- southeast
How to use 东南
东南 is used for the direction southeast and for southeast regions, as in 东南亚 (Dōngnányà, Southeast Asia). It often appears with 边 or 方: 学校在城市的东南边。(Xuéxiào zài chéngshì de dōngnán biān.) The school is on the southeast side of the city.
东南 (dōngnán) simply joins 东 (dōng, east) and 南 (nán, south). Think of it as 'east-south', the corner where east and south meet.
Common mistake: English says 'southeast', so learners often say 南东, but Chinese always puts 东 or 西 first: 东南, 东北, 西南, 西北. Also keep both syllables in the first and second tones, dōng then nán.
东南 in example sentences
Real sentences from the Tatoeba project, with pinyin and English.
Stroke order for each character
Open a character for its meaning, components and more words.
东 dōng · east · 5 strokes
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南 nán · south · 9 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 东南.
| 东西 | dōngxi | east and west |
| 南边 | nánbian | south; south side |
| 东边 | dōngbian | east; east side |
| 南方 | nánfāng | south; southern direction; (in China) southern regions, often referring to areas south of |
| 东方 | dōngfāng | east |
| 东北 | dōngběi | northeast |
| 西南 | xīnán | southwest |
| 南部 | nánbù | southern part |
| 东部 | dōngbù | the east; eastern part |
| 房东 | fángdōng | landlord |
| 南极 | nánjí | the South Pole; the south magnetic pole |
| 南北 | nánběi | north and south; north to south |
Questions about 东南
What does 东南 mean?
东南 (dōngnán) means "southeast" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 东南?
东南 is made of 2 characters: 东 (5 strokes), 南 (9 strokes). That is 14 strokes in total.
Is 东南 an HSK word?
Yes. 东南 is on the HSK 2 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
How is 东南 written in traditional Chinese?
In traditional characters, 东南 is written 東南.
How do you say the other in-between directions in Chinese?
They follow the same pattern: 东北 (dōngběi) northeast, 西南 (xīnán) southwest, and 西北 (xīběi) northwest. East or west always comes first.
Can 东南 refer to a place in China?
Yes. 东南 can mean the southeast part of a country, so 中国东南 means southeast China. It is also used in names like 东南亚 (Southeast Asia).