南天

Chinese
south day; sky; heaven
simp. and trad.
(南天)		 南 天

Pronunciation

Noun

南天

  1. the southern skies
  2. the southern areas (of China); Lingnan
  3. See 南天竹.

Japanese
南天 (nanten), the plant: the leaves, immature flowers, and branches of a nandina plant.
Kanji in this term
南 天
なん
Grade: 2		 てん
Grade: 1
on’yomi

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese 南天 (*nom *ten, literally “southern heavens”). Compare modern Chinese 南天 (nántiān).

Noun

南天 (hiragana なんてん, rōmaji nanten)

  1. the southern skies

Etymology 2

Apparently ultimately an abbreviation of Middle Chinese 南天竹 (*nom *ten *djiuk) or 南天竺 (*nom *ten *djiuk?), referring to a type of plant similar to bamboo, originating from an area further to the south (India or Indochina).[2] Compare modern Chinese 南天竹 (nántiān zhú).

Noun

南天 (hiragana なんてん, rōmaji nanten)

  1. nandina, heavenly bamboo, sacred bamboo: Nandina domestica, a kind of flowering shrub.
  2. a kind of 家紋 (kamon, “family crest”) featuring the nandina in the design.

Compounds
Usage notes

In biology contexts, this term is spelled in katakana as ナンテン.

References
  1. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  2. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan

Proper noun

南天 (hiragana なんてん, rōmaji nanten)

  1. A female given name.
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