土着居民 (tǔ zhe jū mín) — indigenous people; aboriginal inhabitants

Definition

Refers to the original inhabitants of a land before colonization or major migration — the original group, not recent arrivals.

noun

indigenous peopleaboriginal inhabitants

Measure word · 个

土着居民。
Zhè xiē tǔ zhe jū mín yǒu zì jǐ dú tè de wén huà.
These indigenous people have their own unique culture.
土着居民。
Zhèng fǔ yīng gāi bǎo hù tǔ zhe jū mín de quán lì.
The government should protect the rights of indigenous people.
土着居民。
Xǔ duō tǔ zhe jū mín de yǔ yán zhèng zài xiāo shī.
Many indigenous languages are disappearing.

Characters in this word

No reliable origin is recorded for this character.

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 著; 着 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú

艸艸cǎograss; plant

Sound part声符shēngfú

者

者zhě著zháo

Same sound today

The traditional form 著 puts 艸 (grass; plant) above 者, which gives the sound; the simplified 着 is a later shorthand.

Most characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.

尸古居

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

古

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

居 is built from 尸 as the meaning part and 古 (gǔ) as the sound part.

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

The early form of 民 shows an eye pierced by a sharp cross-shaped implement, possibly linked to an injured or unclear eye.