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岛国 (dǎo guó) — island nation; island country

Definition

noun
island nationisland country
Measure word · 个

Examples

  • 岛国。
    Rì běn shì yí gè dǎo guó.
    Japan is an island nation.
  • 岛国。
    Xǔ duō dǎo guó de jīng jì dōu yī lài lǚ yóu yè.
    Many island nations' economies rely on tourism.
  • 岛国。
    Qì hòu biàn nuǎn duì dǎo guó de yǐng xiǎng hěn míng xiǎn.
    The impact of global warming on island nations is very clear.

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.

岛dǎoisland
国guócountry

A country that is an island, 岛 'island' specifying 国 'country'.

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.

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 →

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 國; 国 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
囗囗wéiclosure
Sound part声符shēngfú
或
或huò國guó
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 國 uses 囗 to show closure and 或 to give the sound.

Open 国 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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