塔拉瓦 (tǎ lā wǎ) — Tarawa, capital of Kiribati | tongtong Chinese Dictionary

Definition

noun

Tarawacapital of Kiribati

Examples

塔拉瓦。
Jī lǐ bā sī de shǒu dū shì tǎ lā wǎ.
The capital of Kiribati is Tarawa.
塔拉瓦。
Wǒ tīng shuō tǎ lā wǎ de fēng jǐng hěn měi.
I've heard that Tarawa's scenery is very beautiful.
塔拉瓦？
Nǐ zhī dào tǎ lā wǎ zài nǎ ge guó jiā ma?
Do you know which country Tarawa is in?

Origin

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.

土荅塔

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

荅

荅dá塔tǎ

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

塔 shows 土 (earth) for the meaning and 荅 (dá) for the sound.

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.

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

瓦’s shape is a picture of fired earthenware pottery or a tile.

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