南极
nán jí · HSK 5
south pole
🧊🐧 南 (south) + 极 (pole/extreme) = south pole; 极 also means Antarctic/Arctic
南极 literally stacks 南 nán (south) with 极 jí (extreme/pole). 极 by itself names either polar extreme, so 北极 is north pole and 南极 is south pole. Same 极 appears in 极端 jíduān (extreme).
南 — 十 ten + 冂 enclosure + 丷 + 干
Originally a pictograph of a bronze bell or musical instrument hung on a frame, used in southern regional rites. Through phonetic loan, the character came to mean 'south' — the direction one faces when seated as ruler in ancient China. The original 'bell' meaning was lost.
极 — wood radical 木 + 及 (jí, phonetic)
极 is a semantic-phonetic compound: 木 (wood) hints at the meaning, since the original sense was the ridgepole — the highest beam of a roof. 及 supplies the sound 'jí'. From 'topmost beam' the meaning extended to 'extreme, utmost, pole', as in 北极 (North Pole).