安圭拉岛 (ān guī lā dǎo) — Anguilla (island in the Caribbean)

Definition

Name of Anguilla, a small British overseas territory in the Caribbean. Learners usually encounter it as a geography term in reading passages.

noun
Anguilla (island in the Caribbean)

Examples

  • 安圭拉岛。
    ān guī lā dǎo Shì jiā lè bǐ hǎi de yí gè xiǎo dǎo.
    Anguilla is a small island in the Caribbean Sea.
  • 安圭拉岛。
    Qù nián xià tiān wǒ qù le ān guī lā dǎo lǚ yóu.
    Last summer I traveled to Anguilla.
  • 安圭拉岛。
    ān guī lā dǎo Yǐ měi lì de hǎi tān wén míng.
    Anguilla is famous for its beautiful beaches.

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.

安圭拉Anguilla
安ān圭guī拉lā
音译Transliteration
岛dǎoisland

安圭拉 spells Anguilla, and 岛 marks it as an island.

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
宀宀mián
Sound part声符shēngfú
女
女nǚ安ān
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

In 安, 宀 sits above a seated 女 on a cushion; 宀 is the meaning part, 女 is the sound part, and the character originally meant sitting at ease.

Open 安 →

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

圭 stacks two 士 parts, drawn as two ritual axes, perhaps made of jade, one above the other.

Open 圭 →

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
手手shǒuhand
Sound part声符shēngfú
立
立lì拉lā
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

拉 pairs 手 (hand) with 立, a component that supplies the sound.

Open 拉 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 島; 岛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
鳥
鳥niǎo島dǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 島 uses 山, meaning mountain, and 鳥 for the sound. The simplified 岛 is a later shorthand.

Open 岛 →

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