南亚 (nán Yà) — South Asia

Definition

noun
South Asia

Examples

  • 南亚。
    nán Yà Shì yí gè rén kǒu mì jí de dì qū.
    South Asia is a densely populated region.
  • 南亚。
    Hěn duō nán Yà guó jiā dōu yǒu yōu jiǔ de lì shǐ.
    Many South Asian countries have long histories.
  • 南亚。
    Wǒ jì huà míng nián qù nán Yà lǚ xíng.
    I plan to travel to South Asia next year.

Origin

Compound word
构词法gòucífǎ
偏正piānzhèngModifier + head

The first part narrows down the second: it says what kind of thing the head is.

南nánsouth
亚yàAsia

南 points to the south, while 亚 stands for Asia, giving South Asia.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 南 →

A drawing of the thing itself, worn down over three thousand years into a few strokes.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 亞; 亚 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 亞 likely shows an overhead view of a construction, perhaps a 亞-shaped tomb. Its later simplified form 亚 is just a shorthand.

Open 亚 →

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