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鹿岛 (lù dǎo) — Kashima, a city in Ibaraki Prefecture, Japan; Ludao Island, an island off the coast of Liaoning, China

Definition

鹿岛 (Lùdǎo) names TWO different places depending on context: "Kashima," a city in Japan's Ibaraki Prefecture (e.g. 鹿岛神宮), and "Ludao," an island off China's Liaoning coast near Dalian.

noun
Kashimaa city in Ibaraki PrefectureJapanLudao Island, an island off the coast of Liaoning, China

Examples

  • 鹿岛。
    Wǒ jì huà xià ge yuè qù lù dǎo lǚ yóu.
    I plan to travel to Kashima (or Ludao) next month.
  • 鹿岛。
    lù dǎo Shén gōng shì rì běn zhù míng de shén shè zhī yī.
    Kashima Jingu is one of the most famous shrines in Japan.
  • 鹿岛。
    Cóng dà lián chéng chuán kě yǐ dào dá zhōng guó lù dǎo.
    You can reach China's Ludao Island by boat from Dalian.

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.

鹿lùdeer
岛dǎoisland

鹿 (“deer”) + 岛 (“island”) forms a place name meaning deer island.

Characters in this word

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

鹿 is a picture of a deer, with antlers, head, mouth, and bent legs; in the current form these parts are abstracted.

Open 鹿 →

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

This origin belongs to the traditional form 島; 岛 is its simplified writing.

Meaning part形符xíngfú
山山shānmountain
Sound part声符shēngfú
鳥
鳥niǎo島dǎo
The sound has drifted apartThe sound part was a clue two thousand years ago — it often still helps, but not always.

The traditional form 島 uses 山, meaning mountain, and 鳥 for the sound. The simplified 岛 is a later shorthand.

Open 岛 →
Appears in
Geography & Landforms

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