Chinese

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.

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• (Tokyo) なんてん [nàńtéń] (Heiban - [0])^[1]
• (Tokyo) なんて​ん [nàńtéꜜǹ] (Nakadaka - [3])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [nã̠ntẽ̞ɴ]

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, romaji 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, romaji 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

• 南天紋 (なんてんもん, nanten mon): a kind of family crest featuring the nandina in the design.

Usage notes

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

References

1. 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
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, romaji Nanten)

1. A female given name.