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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "south-west" in Japanese?
南西
nansei
In Japanese, "south-west" is 南西 (nansei).
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Pronunciation
南西 is written using kanji. Romanised as nansei, it sounds roughly like "nah-n-seh" to an English ear.
Writing and usage
Nansei combines south (南) and west (西) to form a compound direction. This combines two fundamental direction kanji in the expected order.
Example sentence
風は南西から吹いています。
Kaze wa nansei kara fuite imasu.
The wind is blowing from the southwest.
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How to remember 南西
South-west: nan (south) plus sei (west). The warm, moist air that brings summer rain often blows from this direction.
Related words
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 南西
How do you pronounce 南西?
南西 is romanised as nansei. Say it roughly like "nah-n-seh" in English. Each Japanese syllable has even weight, so keep the rhythm steady.
Is 南西 formal or casual?
南西 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.
How is 南西 written in Japanese?
南西 is written using kanji. Nansei combines south (南) and west (西) to form a compound direction.
Where can I practice Japanese words for free?
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"South-west" in other languages
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