楠 (nán): phoebe (a type of laurel tree,…

Meanings

1 phoebe (a type of laurel tree, Phoebe nanmu)
2 nanmu (a prized hardwood native to southwest China)

Characters

楠

nán

nanmu; phoebe tree

Examples

金丝楠木是中国最珍贵的木材之一。

Jīnsī nán mù shì Zhōngguó zuì zhēnguì de mùcái zhīyī.

Golden thread nanmu is one of China's most precious timbers.

楠也用作人名，意为坚实如楠木。

Nán yě yòngzuò rénmíng, yì wéi jiānshí rú nán mù.

Nán is also used as a given name, meaning as solid as nanmu wood.

Tips

culture

金丝楠木 (jīnsī nánmù) — golden thread nanmu — was the imperial timber of choice for palace construction and fine furniture. True nanmu pieces command extraordinary prices at auction. The Forbidden City's main halls are built from it.

Components

radical

木 mù

tree; wood

Left tree radical — the indexing radical, marking 楠 as a kind of tree. Specifically the nanmu (Phoebe zhennan), a prized hardwood used in imperial coffins and Forbidden City pillars. Same radical groups 楠 with 松 (pine), 柏 (cypress), 桂 (cassia), 樟 (camphor).

phonetic

南 nán

south (here phonetic)

Right 南 supplies both sound and a faint geographic hint — nán matches the whole reading, and nanmu trees grow in the warm south (Sichuan, Yunnan, Fujian). The same phonetic gives 喃 (mutter), 楠's homophone 男 (male; though that one is semantic), reinforcing the nán family.