屿 (yǔ) — island, islet (bound form; used in place names and formal compounds)

Definition

屿 (yǔ) is a bound-form word for a small island, used in place names (like 鼓浪屿) and formal compounds rather than on its own. The everyday stand-alone word for 'island' is 岛.

bound form
islandislet (bound form; used in place names and formal compounds)

Examples

  • 屿。
    Gǔ làng yǔ shì xià mén de yí gè xiǎo dǎo.
    Gulangyu is a small island in Xiamen.
  • 。
    Zhè piàn hǎi yù yǒu hěn duō dǎo yǔ.
    This sea area has many islands.
  • 。
    Yuǎn chù yǒu yí zuò dǎo yǔ.
    There is an island in the distance.

Origin

Sound + meaning
六书liùshū
形声xíngshēng

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 嶼; 屿 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
Sound part声符shēngfú
與
與yǔ嶼yǔ
Same sound today

The traditional form 嶼 uses 山 (mountain) for its meaning and 與 (yǔ) for its sound; the simplified 屿 is a shorthand.

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