弓蕉

Chinese

		a bow (weapon)	banana
trad. (弓蕉)		弓	蕉
simp. #(弓蕉)		弓	蕉
alternative forms		芎蕉 荊蕉／荆蕉

Etymology

Referring to the banana's curved, bow-like shape.

Pronunciation

• Cantonese (Jyutping): gung¹ ziu¹
• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): kiûng-chêu

  (Meixian, Guangdong): giung¹ jiau¹

• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): keng-chio / geng-chio / kheng-chio / kin-chio / kirn-chio

  (Teochew, Peng'im): gêng¹ zio¹ / gêng¹ ziê¹

---

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: gung¹ ziu¹
    • Yale: gūng jīu
    • Cantonese Pinyin: gung¹ dziu¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: gung¹ jiu¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /kʊŋ⁵⁵ t͡siːu̯⁵⁵/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: kiûng-chêu
    • Hakka Romanization System: giung´ zeu´
    • Hagfa Pinyim: giung¹ zeu¹
    • Sinological IPA: /ki̯uŋ²⁴⁻¹¹ t͡seu̯²⁴/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: giung¹ jiau¹
    • Sinological IPA: /kiʊŋ⁴⁴ t͡siau⁴⁴/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Quanzhou, Zhangzhou, Taipei, Hui'an, Lukang, Kinmen, Magong, Singapore, Philippines)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: keng-chio
    • Tâi-lô: king-tsio
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kengcioy
    • IPA (Taipei): /kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sio⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Lukang, Philippines): /kiɪŋ³³ t͡sio³³/
    • IPA (Singapore): /keŋ⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sio⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Hui'an): /keŋ³³ t͡sio³³/
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou, Kinmen): /kiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sio⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: geng-chio
    • Tâi-lô: ging-tsio
    • Phofsit Daibuun: gengcioy
    • IPA (Xiamen, Zhangzhou): /ɡiɪŋ⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sio⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Quanzhou, Jinjiang)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kheng-chio
    • Tâi-lô: khing-tsio
    • Phofsit Daibuun: qengcioy
    • IPA (Quanzhou, Jinjiang): /kʰiɪŋ³³ t͡sio³³/
  • (Hokkien: Kaohsiung, Tainan, Taichung, Yilan, Lukang, Sanxia, Hsinchu, Penang, Singapore)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kin-chio
    • Tâi-lô: kin-tsio
    • Phofsit Daibuun: kincioy
    • IPA (Penang): /kin³³⁻²¹ t͡sio³³/
    • IPA (Lukang): /kin³³ t͡sio³³/
    • IPA (Yilan): /kin⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡sio⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Singapore): /kin⁴⁴⁻²² t͡sio⁴⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung, Tainan): /kin⁴⁴⁻³³ t͡siɤ⁴⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Sanxia)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: kirn-chio
    • Tâi-lô: kirn-tsio
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: gêng¹ zio¹ / gêng¹ ziê¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: keng tsio / keng tsie
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /keŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sio³³/, /keŋ³³⁻²³ t͡sie³³/

Note: gêng1 ziê1 - Chaozhou.

Noun

弓蕉

1. (Hakka, Southern Min, Puxian Min, Malaysian Cantonese) banana (Classifier: 條／条; 莢／荚 mn; 弓 mn)

Synonyms

Dialectal synonyms of 香蕉 (“banana”) [map]

Variety	Location	Words edit
Formal (Written Standard Chinese)		香蕉
Taxonomic name		香蕉
Mandarin	Beijing	香蕉
	Taiwan	香蕉
	Tianjin	香蕉
	Jinan	香蕉
	Wanrong	香蕉
	Xi'an	香蕉
	Wuhan	香蕉
	Chengdu	香蕉
	Yangzhou	香蕉
	Hefei	香蕉
	Changle (Qinjiang)	芭蕉果
	Malaysia	香蕉
	Singapore	香蕉
	Sokuluk (Gansu Dungan)	香蕉
	Dagudi (Maliba)	香蕉
	Reshuitang (Longling)	香蕉
	Mae Salong (Lancang)	香蕉
	Mae Sai (Tengchong)	香蕉
Cantonese	Guangzhou	香蕉, 蕉
	Hong Kong	蕉, 香蕉
	Hong Kong (San Tin Weitou)	牙蕉
	Hong Kong (Kam Tin Weitou)	香蕉, 蕉
	Hong Kong (Ting Kok)	香蕉, 牙蕉
	Hong Kong (Tung Ping Chau)	牙蕉
	Macau	蕉, 香蕉
	Guangzhou (Panyu)	香蕉, 蕉
	Guangzhou (Huashan, Huadu)	香蕉
	Guangzhou (Conghua)	蕉仔
	Guangzhou (Zengcheng)	蕉, 香蕉, 香牙蕉
	Foshan	香蕉, 蕉
	Foshan (Shatou, Nanhai)	蕉
	Foshan (Shunde)	蕉, 香蕉
	Foshan (Sanshui)	香蕉
	Foshan (Mingcheng, Gaoming)	香蕉
	Zhongshan (Shiqi)	蕉, 香蕉
	Zhuhai (Qianshan)	蕉, 香蕉
	Zhuhai (Doumen, Shangheng Tanka)	香蕉
	Zhuhai (Doumen)	蕉果
	Jiangmen (Baisha)	蕉
	Jiangmen (Xinhui)	蕉
	Taishan	香蕉, 蕉果
	Kaiping (Chikan)	香蕉
	Enping (Niujiang)	香蕉
	Heshan (Yayao)	蕉果
	Dongguan	蕉, 香蕉
	Shenzhen (Shajing, Bao'an)	牙蕉
	Shaoguan	香蕉
	Yunfu	香蕉
	Yangjiang	蕉子
	Xinyi	香蕉, 蕉子, 粉蕉
	Lianjiang	蕉子, 香蕉
	Nanning	香蕉
	Wuzhou	香蕉
	Yulin	香蕉
	Hepu (Lianzhou)	香蕉
	Kuala Lumpur (Guangfu)	香蕉, 弓蕉
	Penang (Guangfu)	弓蕉
	Ipoh (Guangfu)	香蕉, 弓蕉
	Singapore (Guangfu)	香蕉
	Ho Chi Minh City (Guangfu)	香牙蕉
Gan	Nanchang	香蕉
Hakka	Meixian	香蕉, 弓蕉
	Dabu (Xihe)	香蕉, 弓蕉
	Huizhou (Huicheng Bendihua)	香蕉
	Dongguan (Qingxi)	蕉
	Shenzhen (Shatoujiao)	香蕉
	Zengcheng (Zhengguo)	牙蕉, 蕉
	Zhongshan (Nanlang Heshui)	香蕉
	Wuhua (Shuizhai)	弓蕉
	Wuhua (Huacheng)	蕉哩
	Wuhua (Changbu)	弓蕉
	Wuhua (Mianyang)	弓蕉
	Conghua (Lütian)	蕉
	Jiexi	弓蕉
	Luhe	弓蕉
	Raoping (Xinfeng)	弓蕉
	Changting	香蕉
	Yongding	牙蕉
	Yongding (Xiayang)	弓蕉
	Yongding (Gaobei)	牙蕉
	Yongding (Hukeng)	牙蕉
	Liancheng	香蕉
	Liancheng (Peitian)	香蕉
	Liancheng (Zhongbao)	香蕉
	Liancheng (Laiyuan)	香蕉
	Ninghua	牙蕉
	Miaoli (N. Sixian)	弓蕉
	Pingtung (Neipu; S. Sixian)	弓蕉
	Hsinchu County (Zhudong; Hailu)	弓蕉
	Taichung (Dongshi; Dabu)	弓蕉
	Hsinchu County (Qionglin; Raoping)	弓蕉
	Yunlin (Lunbei; Zhao'an)	弓蕉
	Hong Kong	牙蕉
	Sabah (Longchuan)	蕉
	Kuala Lumpur (Dabu)	弓蕉
	Senai (Huiyang)	弓蕉
	Bangkok (Meixian)	弓蕉
	Bangkok (Fengshun)	弓蕉
Huizhou	Jixi	香蕉
Jin	Taiyuan	香蕉
	Pingyao	香蕉
Northern Min	Jian'ou	香蕉, 芭蕉果
Eastern Min	Fuzhou	芭蕉, 芭蕉果
	Matsu	芭蕉果
Southern Min	Xiamen	弓蕉
	Xiamen (Tong'an)	弓蕉
	Quanzhou	弓蕉
	Jinjiang	弓蕉
	Hui'an	弓蕉
	Anxi	弓蕉
	Yongchun	弓蕉
	Zhangzhou	弓蕉, 牙蕉, 蕉
	Zhangzhou (Longhai)	牙蕉
	Zhangzhou (Changtai)	蕉
	Pinghe	牙蕉
	Zhangpu	牙蕉
	Yunxiao	牙蕉
	Zhao'an	牙蕉
	Dongshan	牙蕉
	Taipei	金蕉, 弓蕉
	New Taipei (Sanxia)	弓蕉
	Kaohsiung	弓蕉
	Yilan	弓蕉
	Changhua (Lukang)	金蕉, 弓蕉
	Taichung	弓蕉
	Tainan	弓蕉
	Hsinchu	弓蕉
	Kinmen	弓蕉
	Penghu (Magong)	弓蕉
	Penang (Hokkien)	弓蕉
	Singapore (Hokkien)	弓蕉, 金蕉
	Manila (Hokkien)	弓蕉
	Medan (Hokkien)	弓蕉
	Longyan	蕉弓
	Zhangping	蕉弓
	Zhangping (Yongfu)	蕉弓
	Datian	弓蕉
	Pingnan (Shangdu)	香蕉
	Chaozhou	弓蕉
	Raoping	弓蕉
	Shantou	弓蕉
	Shantou (Chenghai)	弓蕉
	Jieyang	弓蕉
	Puning	弓蕉
	Haifeng	弓蕉
	Bangkok (Teochew)	弓蕉
	Johor Bahru (Teochew)	弓蕉
	Singapore (Teochew)	弓蕉
	Leizhou	蕉
	Wenchang	香蕉
	Haikou	牙蕉
	Singapore (Hainanese)	芭蕉
Puxian Min	Putian	弓蕉
	Putian (Donghai)	蕉祖
	Putian (Jiangkou)	弓蕉
	Putian (Nanri)	弓蕉
	Xianyou	蕉祖
	Xianyou (Fengting)	蕉祖
	Xianyou (Youyang)	蕉祖
	Fuding (Aoyao)	番蕉
Central Min	Yong'an	香蕉
Zhongshan Min	Shaxi (Longdu)	香蕉
	Sanxiang	香蕉
Southern Pinghua	Nanning (Tingzi)	香蕉
Northern Pinghua	Guilin (Dahe)	香蕉
Shehua	Fu'an	蕉仔
	Fuding	香蕉
	Luoyuan	香蕉
	Sanming	香蕉
	Shunchang	香蕉
	Hua'an	蕉
	Guixi (Zhangping)	香蕉
	Cangnan	香蕉
	Jingning	香蕉
	Lishui	香蕉
	Longyou	香蕉
	Chaozhou	香蕉
	Fengshun	香蕉
Wu	Shanghai	香蕉
	Suzhou	香蕉
	Wuxi	香蕉
	Danyang	香蕉
	Hangzhou	香蕉
	Ningbo	香蕉
	Wenzhou	香蕉
	Jinhua	香蕉
Xiang	Changsha	香蕉
	Shuangfeng	香蕉
	Quanzhou	香蕉

References

• “Entry #538”, in 臺灣閩南語常用詞辭典 (overall work in Mandarin and Hokkien), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2023.
• Duffus, William (1883) “bananas”, in English-Chinese Vocabulary of the Vernacular or Spoken Language of Swatow, Swatow: English Presbyterian Mission Press, page 17