Definition

1. Noun:

   • South: One of the four cardinal directions, opposite to north. It is the direction to the right of a person facing the rising sun.
   • Male; Man: A person of the male sex or gender. Also used as an adjective to describe objects typically designed for or associated with men.

2. Noun (historical):

   • Baron: The fifth and lowest rank of hereditary nobility in the traditional feudal system (Công, Hầu, Bá, Tử, Nam - Duke, Marquis, Count, Viscount, Baron).

Usage Examples

• Noun (Direction):

  • Họ di chuyển về phía nam. (They moved toward the south.)
  • Cửa sổ phòng tôi hướng nam. (My room's window faces south.)

• Noun (Gender):

  • Lớp tôi có mười bạn nam. (My class has ten male students.)
  • Anh ấy mua một chiếc xe đạp nam. (He bought a men's bicycle.)

Advanced Usage

• "phương nam": the southern direction; the South.

  • Gió phương nam thổi nhẹ. (The southern wind blows softly.)

• "nam thanh nữ tú": an idiom describing a gathering of handsome young men and beautiful young women.

  • Buổi tiệc quy tụ toàn những nam thanh nữ tú. (The party gathered all the handsome men and beautiful women.)

Variants and Related Words

• Nam giới (n): men, males (as a collective group).

  • Nam giới và phụ nữ đều bình đẳng. (Men and women are equal.)

• Miền Nam (n): the southern region (often specifically referring to Southern Vietnam).

  • Thời tiết miền Nam nóng quanh năm. (The weather in the South is hot year-round.)

• Hướng nam (n): southward direction.

  • Con chim bay theo hướng nam. (The bird flew in a southward direction.)

Different Meanings

• Noun (rare/archaic):
  • Water spirit/demon: In folklore, a malevolent spirit of a drowned person, believed to haunt ponds and lakes.
  • Người xưa tin rằng hồ nước sâu có nam. (The ancients believed the deep lake was haunted by a water spirit.)

Synonyms

• South: hướng nam, phương nam.
• Male: đàn ông, con trai, trống (for animals).

Related Idioms

• "Vào nam ra bắc": to travel extensively throughout the country, from south to north.

  • Công việc khiến ông ấy phải vào nam ra bắc. (His job requires him to travel all over the country.)

• "Nam tôn nữ ti": a feudal concept meaning "men are respected, women are looked down upon," denoting gender inequality.

  • Tư tưởng nam tôn nữ ti nay đã lỗi thời. (The ideology of male superiority is now obsolete.)

noun

1. south
   • phương nam
     southward

noun

1. man; male
   • nam thí sinh
     male candidate