小岛 (xiǎo dǎo) — island, islet

Definition

Literally 'small island' — emphasizes the small size, contrasted with 岛 (any island). Use for a little island or islet you can see clearly from shore or reach by a short boat ride.

noun
islandislet
Measure word · 个
Easily confused

Examples

  • 小岛。
    Zhè zuò xiǎo dǎo shàng zhǐ yǒu jǐ hù rén jiā.
    There are only a few households on this island.
  • 小岛。
    Wǒ men zuò chuán qù nà ge xiǎo dǎo dù jià.
    We took a boat to that island for a vacation.
  • 小岛。
    Cóng shān dǐng kě yǐ kàn dào yuǎn chù de yí gè xiǎo dǎo.
    From the mountaintop you can see a small island in the distance.

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.

小xiǎosmall
岛dǎoisland

小 means small and 岛 means island, so the sense is a small island or isle.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

  • 八八bāto divide; to separate
  • 丨丨gǔnsmall object

The shape of 小 comes from three small dots, later elongated into its strokes; the apparent parts 八 and 丨 are a later way of seeing it.

Open 小 →

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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