哈密 (Hā mì) — Hami (city in Xinjiang, China)

Definition

noun

Hami (city in Xinjiang, China)

哈密。
Hā mì Shì xīn jiāng dōng bù de yí gè zhòng yào chéng shì.
Hami is an important city in eastern Xinjiang.
哈密。
Hā mì Yǐ shèng chǎn hā mì guā ér wén míng quán guó.
Hami is famous nationwide for its production of Hami melons.
哈密，。
Wǒ qù nián xià tiān qù Hā mì lǚ yóu, nà lǐ de fēng jǐng hěn měi.
I traveled to Hami last summer, and the scenery there was beautiful.

Characters in this word

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

口合哈

Meaning part形符xíngfú

口口kǒumouth

Sound part声符shēngfú

合

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

哈 uses 口 (mouth) to show a mouth-related idea, and 合 as a sound part. The shape of 合 may look like two open mouths, but that is likely by chance.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

宓山密

Meaning part形符xíngfú

山山shānmountain

Sound part声符shēngfú

宓

宓mì密mì

Same sound today

密 pairs 山 (mountain) with 宓 (mì), which gives the pronunciation, to picture something hidden in the mountains, hence secret.