尼加拉瓜人 (ní jiā lā guā rén) — Nicaraguan (person)

Definition

noun
Nicaraguan (person)
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 尼加拉瓜人。
    Tā shì yí wèi ní jiā lā guā rén.
    He is a Nicaraguan.
  • 尼加拉瓜人。
    Wǒ rèn shi yí gè ní jiā lā guā rén de péng you.
    I know a friend from Nicaragua.
  • 尼加拉瓜人。
    Zhè ge ní jiā lā guā rén huì shuō yīng yǔ hé xī bān yá yǔ.
    This Nicaraguan can speak English and Spanish.

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.

尼加拉瓜Nicaragua
尼ní加jiā拉lā瓜guā
人rénperson

尼加拉瓜 spells the country name, 人 means person; together a Nicaraguan person.

Characters in this word

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

The shape draws one person sitting on or leaning against another person, giving the sense of stopping close to someone.

Open 尼 →

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

加 pairs 力 and 口. In one explanation 力 is strength and 口 is the mouth, meaning exaggeration; in another 力 is plowing effort and 口 is breath or exclamation, meaning extra effort.

Open 加 →

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 →

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

The shape of 瓜 is drawn from a melon hanging from its vines, which matches its meaning.

Open 瓜 →

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

The shape of 人 shows a side view of a standing person, with an arm and a leg.

Open 人 →

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