台湾

See also: 台灣 and 臺灣

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 台湾 – see 臺灣 (“Taiwan; etc.”). (This term is the simplified form of 臺灣).

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Japanese

Kanji in this term
台	湾
たい Grade: 2	わん Grade: S
kan'on

Alternative spelling
臺灣 (kyūjitai)

台湾

Etymology

Borrowed from Literary Chinese 臺灣, which came from Hokkien 大員 (Tāi-oân), 大圓, 臺員, 大灣, 臺灣, etc., a placename initially referring to a sandbank peninsula that later silted up now wholly part of the island in the area of modern-day Anping District, Tainan, and eventually became the name of the entire island. The original placename itself was likely originally a loanword transcription from possibly Siraya. Compare Dutch Tayouan, Mandarin 臺灣 / 台湾 (Táiwān).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) たいわん [tàíwáꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ta̠iβ̞ã̠ɴ]

• Audio:

  (file)

Proper noun

台(たい)湾(わん) • (Taiwan) 

1. Taiwan

Derived terms

• 台(たい)湾(わん)人(じん) (Taiwanjin, “Taiwanese person”)
• 台(たい)湾(わん)海(かい)峡(きょう) (Taiwan Kaikyō, “Taiwan Strait”)
• 台(たい)湾(わん)語(ご) (taiwango, “Taiwanese language”)
• 台(たい)北(ほく) (Taihoku), 台(たい)北(ぺー) (Taipē)
• 台(たい)中(ちゅう) (Taichū), 台(たい)中(ジョン) (Taijon)
• 台(たい)南(なん) (Tainan)

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
台	湾
たい Grade: 2	わん Grade: S

Alternative spelling
臺灣 (kyūjitai)

Pronunciation

• (Shuri) IPA^(key): /taiwaɴ/

Proper noun

台(たい)湾(わん) (Taiwan) 

1. Taiwan, an island east of mainland China and west of the Ryukyu archipelago, where the Republic of China is located
2. an unspecified mythological location

Derived terms

• 台湾ぬ鬼