肯塔基州 (kěn tǎ jī zhōu) — Kentucky (US state)

Definition

noun
Kentucky (US state)

Examples

  • 肯塔基州。
    Qù nián wǒ qù le kěn tǎ jī zhōu.
    I went to Kentucky last year.
  • 肯塔基州。
    Tā jiā zài kěn tǎ jī zhōu.
    His home is in Kentucky.
  • 肯塔基州。
    kěn tǎ jī zhōu Shì měi guó de yí gè zhōu.
    Kentucky is a state in the US.

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.

肯塔基Kentucky
肯kěn塔tǎ基jī
音译Transliteration
州zhōustate

肯塔基 spells Kentucky, and 州 means state, giving the state of Kentucky.

Characters in this word

Two or more meaningful parts placed together so that their meanings combine into a new one.

肯 is described as showing 冎 (bone) and 肉 (meat), meaning meat attached to the bone.

Open 肯 →

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
土土tǔ
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.

Open 塔 →

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
土土tǔearth
Sound part声符shēngfú
其
其qí基jī
Same sound today

The lower 土 means earth, and the upper 其 gives the sound; together they form the idea of a foundation of earth.

Open 基 →

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

州 originally drew an islet in a river.

Open 州 →

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