südlich

Südlich is a German directional term that indicates being located toward the south or on the southern side of something. It functions as both an adverb and an adjective and is widely used in maps, geography, and everyday speech to describe position or orientation.

As an adverb, südlich describes location in relation to another object and is commonly used with the preposition von to specify relative position: example, "Die Stadt liegt südlich von Hamburg." In geographic contexts it often appears in phrases like "südlich gelegen" or "südlich des Gebirges" to indicate a southern area or direction. It can also appear in compound geographic descriptors such as südlich gelegen oder südöstlich, forming part of a broader directional sense.

As an adjective, südlich modifies a noun and inflects according to gender, number, and case: for instance, "das südliche Deutschland," "die südliche Küste," "ein südlicher Ort," "die südlichen Regionen." In predicative use after forms of sein, it can appear without explicit article, while attributive use requires appropriate endings according to standard German declension rules.

Etymology and related terms: südlich derives from Süd (south) with the suffix -lich, akin to the English "southern." It is part of a family of cardinal directions that includes nördlich (north), westlich (west), and östlich (east), as well as more specific forms like südöstlich (southeast) or südwestlich (southwest).

Usage notes: Südlich denotes relative position rather than a fixed geographic region by itself; it contrasts with nördlich and other directions and is often used together with von or des to specify the reference point. It also appears in place-name phrases and in navigational language.