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堪萨斯州 (Kān sà sī zhōu) — Kansas (US state)

Definition

noun
Kansas (US state)

Examples

  • 堪萨斯州。
    Wǒ míng nián xiǎng qù Kān sà sī zhōu lǚ yóu.
    I want to travel to Kansas next year.
  • 堪萨斯州，。
    Kān sà sī zhōu Zài měi guó zhōng bù, yǐ nóng yè wén míng.
    Kansas is in the central US, famous for agriculture.
  • 堪萨斯州。
    Tā de jiā xiāng zài Kān sà sī zhōu de yí gè xiǎo chéng shì.
    His hometown is in a small city in Kansas.

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.

堪萨斯Kansas
堪kān萨sà斯sī
州zhōustate

“堪萨斯” spells Kansas, “州” means state; together Kansas state.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
甚
甚shèn堪kān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The left part 土 is earth. The right part 甚 gives the sound and also hints at something extreme, matching the old idea of a heavy earthen protrusion whose weight one bears.

Open 堪 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 萨 →

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

Open 斯 →

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.

Open 州 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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