东南

• Pinyin: dōng nán
• Hanzi breakdown: 东 (dōng) — east; 南 (nán) — south

Meaning

Southeast. The direction between east and south.

Used for compass directions and commonly in the compound 东南亚 (Southeast Asia). Also appears in geographical descriptions of China's southeastern coastal regions.

Examples

1. 我们学校在城市的东南。 Our school is in the southeast of the city.
2. 东南亚的天气一年四季都很热。 The weather in Southeast Asia is hot all year round.
3. 风从东南方向吹过来了。 The wind is blowing from the southeast.

Usage Guide

Context: directions, geography, weather

Tone: informative

Do Say

• 东南方向有一家超市。(There's a supermarket to the southeast.)
• 他去东南亚旅游了。(He went travelling in Southeast Asia.)

Don't Say

• 不要说'南东'来表示东南 — Chinese directional compounds follow the fixed order 东南, not 南东. The order cannot be reversed.

Origin & History

Compound of 东 (east) and 南 (south). A standard directional compound following Chinese word order.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal