爪哇 (Zhuǎ wā) — Java (island in Indonesia)

Definition

noun

Java (island in Indonesia)

爪哇。
Zhuǎ wā Shì yìn dù ní xī yà de yí gè zhòng yào dǎo yǔ.
Java is an important island in Indonesia.
爪哇。
Zhuǎ wā Yǐ kā fēi hé chuán tǒng wén huà wén míng yú shì.
Java is famous worldwide for its coffee and traditional culture.
爪哇。
Jīn nián shǔ jià wǒ jì huà qù Zhuǎ wā lǚ yóu.
This summer vacation I plan to travel to Java.

Characters in this word

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

爪 originally drew a human hand reaching down to grab, with the fingers pointing from above.

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

口圭哇

Meaning part形符xíngfú

Sound part声符shēngfú

圭

The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

哇 pairs 口 (mouth) with 圭 to show its sound. The 圭 part originally drew a pair of ritual axes.