Strings in C, how to get subString

#include <string.h>
...
char otherString[6]; // note 6, not 5, there's one there for the null terminator
...
strncpy(otherString, someString, 5);
otherString[5] = '\0'; // place the null terminator

char* someString = "abcdedgh";
char* otherString = 0;

otherString = (char*)malloc(5+1);
memcpy(otherString,someString,5);
otherString[5] = 0;

UPDATE:
Tip: A good way to understand definitions is called the right-left rule (some links at the end):

Start reading from identifier and say aloud => "someString is..."
Now go to right of someString (statement has ended with a semicolon, nothing to say).
Now go left of identifier (* is encountered) => so say "...a pointer to...".
Now go to left of "*" (the keyword char is found) => say "..char".
Done!

So char* someString; => "someString is a pointer to char".

Since a pointer simply points to a certain memory address, it can also be used as the "starting point" for an "array" of characters.

That works with anything .. give it a go:

char* s[2]; //=> s is an array of two pointers to char
char** someThing; //=> someThing is a pointer to a pointer to char.
//Note: We look in the brackets first, and then move outward
char (* s)[2]; //=> s is a pointer to an array of two char

Some links: How to interpret complex C/C++ declarations and How To Read C Declarations

Generalized:

char* subString (const char* input, int offset, int len, char* dest)
{
  int input_len = strlen (input);

  if (offset + len > input_len)
  {
     return NULL;
  }

  strncpy (dest, input + offset, len);
  return dest;
}

char dest[80];
const char* source = "hello world";

if (subString (source, 0, 5, dest))
{
  printf ("%s\n", dest);
}