海口 (Hǎi kǒu) — Haikou (capital of Hainan Province)

Definition

Haikou, the capital city of Hainan Province, in the island's north. Refers only to the city, not the province (海南) or the island.

noun
Haikou (capital of Hainan Province)

Examples

  • 海口。
    Wǒ míng nián xiǎng qù Hǎi kǒu lǚ yóu.
    I want to travel to Haikou next year.
  • 海口。
    Hǎi kǒu Shì hǎi nán de shěng huì chéng shì.
    Haikou is the capital city of Hainan.
  • 海口。
    Tā cóng Hǎi kǒu zuò fēi jī dào běi jīng.
    He flew from Haikou to Beijing.

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.

海hǎisea
口kǒumouth

海 (sea) and 口 (mouth) name a place at the sea's mouth.

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
氵Written in full as水shuǐwater
Sound part声符shēngfú
每
每měi海hǎi
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

海 pairs 氵 (water) with 每, which gives the sound. The 氵 side shows it is about water.

Open 海 →

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

The form 口 looks like an open mouth.

Open 口 →

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