澳 (ào) — (bound form) inlet, bay (used in place names)
Definition
澳 (ào) is a bound form meaning 'bay' or 'inlet,' used almost only as part of place names — most commonly 澳门 (Macau) and 澳大利亚 (Australia). It never stands alone as a common noun.
bound form
inletbay (used in place names)
Easily confused
- 噢ōlook-alike(interjection) oh! ah! (used to indicate realization or understanding)
- 奥àosound-alike(bound morpheme) profound, abstruse, mysterious (in compounds like 奥妙, 深奥)
- 懊àolook-alike(bound form) vexed, regretful, annoyed
- 傲àosound-alikeproud; arrogant
- 坳àosound-alikemountain pass, col (between two peaks)
Examples
- 。Wǒ míng nián dǎ suàn qù ào mén lǚ yóu.I plan to visit Macau next year.
- 。ào Dà lì yà shì yí gè hěn dà de guó jiā.Australia is a very big country.
- 。ào Mén hé xiāng gǎng dōu shì tè bié xíng zhèng qū.Macau and Hong Kong are both special administrative regions.
Origin
Sound + meaning六书liùshū
形声xíngshēngMost characters — around four in five — are built this way: one part hints at the meaning, the other at the pronunciation.
Sound part声符shēngfú
奧
奧ào澳ào
Same sound today
澳 is made from 水, water, plus 奧, which gives the sound.
Appears in
Browse more HSK 7-9 words or search the full 43,000-word dictionary.