Meaning of 南部
Definitions from CC-CEDICT.
- southern part
How to use 南部
南部 is used for the southern region of a country, province, or city, and often follows the place name. It pairs naturally with 北部 (běibù), 东部 (dōngbù), and 西部 (xībù). Example: 我住在中国南部。 (Wǒ zhù zài Zhōngguó nánbù.) I live in southern China.
南 (nán) means south and 部 (bù) means part or section, as in 部分 (bùfen). Put them together and you get the south section of a place: the southern part.
Common mistake: Learners often put 南部 before the place, as in English "southern China," and say 南部中国. In Chinese the place comes first: 中国南部 (Zhōngguó nánbù).
南部 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.
南 nán · south · 9 strokes
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部 bù · ministry · 10 strokes
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Related words
Words that share a character with 南部.
| 南边 | nánbian | south; south side |
| 全部 | quánbù | whole; all |
| 部分 | bùfen | part; portion; piece; Taiwan pr. [bu4fen4] |
| 一部分 | yī bùfen | portion; part of |
| 大部分 | dàbùfen | the greater part; the majority; most; Taiwan pr. [da4bu4fen4] |
| 南方 | nánfāng | south; southern direction; (in China) southern regions, often referring to areas south of |
| 西南 | xīnán | southwest |
| 东南 | dōngnán | southeast |
| 部门 | bùmén | department; branch |
| 部长 | bùzhǎng | head of a (government etc) department; section chief |
| 西部 | xībù | western part |
| 北部 | běibù | northern part |
Questions about 南部
What does 南部 mean?
南部 (nánbù) means "southern part" and is used as a noun.
How do you write 南部?
南部 is made of 2 characters: 南 (9 strokes), 部 (10 strokes). That is 19 strokes in total.
Is 南部 an HSK word?
Yes. 南部 is on the HSK 3 vocabulary list of the HSK 3.0 standard.
What is the difference between 南部 and 南方?
南部 means the southern part of a specific place, such as 美国南部 (the southern US). 南方 (nánfāng) can mean the direction south, and in China it often refers to the southern regions as a cultural area, as in 南方人 (a southerner).
Can I use 南部 to say something is south of me?
Not usually. For a relative location like "on the south side" or "to the south of the school," use 南边 (nánbian), as in 学校南边 (xuéxiào nánbian). 南部 describes a region inside a larger area.