奎尔 (kuí ěr) — (place name) Quer (transliteration)

Definition

A transliterated place name (Quel). Learners will mainly read it in travel, geography, or game contexts — not a word to produce actively.

noun
(place name) Quer (transliteration)

Examples

  • 奎尔。
    kuí ěr Shì yí gè hěn yǒu míng de chéng shì.
    Quel is a very famous city.
  • 奎尔。
    Wǒ cóng lái méi yǒu qù guò kuí ěr.
    I have never been to Quel.
  • 奎尔。
    kuí ěr De fēng jǐng fēi cháng měi lì.
    The scenery of Quel is very beautiful.

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.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
大大dà
Sound part声符shēngfú
圭
圭guī奎kuí
Close in sound todayThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

奎 is built from 大 and 圭. The 圭 part gives the sound and originally showed two ritual axes, not earth.

Open 奎 →

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

假借jiǎjièLater borrowed for its sound alone — the picture has nothing to do with today’s meaning.

This origin belongs to the traditional form 爾; 尔 is its simplified writing.

The traditional form 爾, simplified as 尔, originally drew cloth on a loom with crossing threads. It was borrowed for its sound to write “you,” so the picture is unrelated to that meaning.

Open 尔 →

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