科伦 (kē lún) — Cologne (city in Germany)

Definition

Shortened Chinese name for Cologne, a city in western Germany on the Rhine, famous for its cathedral and as the original source of eau de cologne.

noun

Cologne (city in Germany)

科伦。
Wǒ jì huà míng nián qù kē lún lǚ yóu.
I plan to travel to Cologne next year.
科伦。
kē lún Dà jiào táng shì ōu zhōu zuì zhù míng de jiàn zhù zhī yī.
Cologne Cathedral is one of the most famous buildings in Europe.
科伦。
Zhè píng xiāng shuǐ shì cóng kē lún dài huí lái de.
This bottle of perfume was brought back from Cologne.

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.

禾斗科

Meaning part形符xíngfú

斗斗dòumeasuring tool

Sound part声符shēngfú

禾

Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

科 pairs 禾, which gives the hé sound, with 斗, a measuring tool.

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 倫; 伦 is its simplified writing.

人侖倫

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

侖

侖lún倫lún

Same sound today

The traditional form 倫 uses 人 to show people and 侖 to give its sound; the simplified 伦 is a later shorthand.