강남

Korean

Etymology

Sino-Korean word from 강(江) (gang, “river”) + 남(南) (nam, “south”), from the Middle Korean reading 가ᇰ남 (Yale: Kàngnàm).

In Seoul, south of the Han River; in China, south of the Yangtze. The now archaic sense of "China" in general is very old, being attested since at least the fifteenth century, and may date from the Southern Song (1127−1279), when the capital of China was in Jiangnan.

Pronunciation

• (SK Standard/Seoul) IPA^(key): [ka̠ŋna̠m]
• Phonetic hangul: [강남]

Romanizations
Revised Romanization?	gangnam
Revised Romanization (translit.)?	gangnam
McCune–Reischauer?	kangnam
Yale Romanization?	kangnam

Noun

강남 • (gangnam) (hanja 江南)

1. south of a river

   Antonym: 강북(江北) (gangbuk)

Proper noun

강남 • (Gangnam) (hanja 江南)

1. (generally) the south area of the Han River, especially of Seoul, known for its affluent residents

   강남 좌파 ― gangnam jwapa ― champagne socialist (literally, “Gangnam leftist”)

2. Gangnam (a district of Seoul, South Korea)
3. Alternative form of 순천 (suncheon) (a city of South Korea)
4. Jiangnan (the region of China around the Yangtze Delta, the country's most productive area since the early second millennium)
5. (archaic, by extension) China

   강남천자국 ― gangnamcheonjaguk ― China (literally, “Son of Heaven's country in Jiangnan”)

Descendants

• → English: Gangnam