琉球

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (琉球)		琉	球
simp. #(琉球)		琉	球
alternative forms		流求 琉求 留求 瑠求

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): Liúqiú

  (Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): lau⁴ kau⁴
• Hakka (Sixian, PFS): Liù-khiù
• Eastern Min (BUC): Liù-giù
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Liû-khiû / Liû-kiû

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• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Liúqiú
    • Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Lióucióu
    • Wade–Giles: Liu²-chʻiu²
    • Yale: Lyóu-chyóu
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Liouchyou
    • Palladius: Люцю (Ljucju)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /li̯oʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: lau⁴ kau⁴
    • Yale: làuh kàuh
    • Cantonese Pinyin: lau⁴ kau⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: leo⁴ keo⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɐu̯²¹ kʰɐu̯²¹/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Meinong)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Liù-khiù
    • Hakka Romanization System: liuˇ kiuˇ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: liu² kiu²
    • Sinological IPA: /li̯u¹¹ kʰi̯u¹¹/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Liù-giù
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /l̃ieu⁵³⁻³³ ^(k-)ieu⁵³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liû-khiû
    • Tâi-lô: Liû-khiû
    • Phofsit Daibuun: liu'qiuu
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /liu²³⁻³³ kʰiu²³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /liu²⁴⁻¹¹ kʰiu²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liû-kiû
    • Tâi-lô: Liû-kiû
    • Phofsit Daibuun: liu'kiuu
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /liu²³⁻³³ kiu²³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /liu²⁴⁻¹¹ kiu²⁴/

Note: Liû-khiû - especially the island and township.

Proper noun

(deprecated template usage) 琉球

1. (historical) Liuqiu (a legendary kingdom east of medieval China variously placed in the Okinawa, Taiwan, or the Penghu Islands)
2. Ryukyu (an archipelago in Japan)
3. (～嶼) Liuqiu (an island in Pingtung County, Taiwan)

   Synonym: 小琉球 (Xiǎoliúqiú)

   • 八月十五彼一天，船要離開琉球港。 [Taiwanese Hokkien, trad.]
     八月十五彼一天，船要离开琉球港。 [Taiwanese Hokkien, simp.]

     From: (deprecated template usage) 陳一郎, 行船人的純情曲

     Poeh-goe̍h cha̍p-gō͘ hit chi̍t kang, chûn beh lī-khui Liû-khiû káng. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]

     On the fifteenth day of the eight month, the boat will be leaving the harbour of Xiaoliuqiu Island.

4. (～鄉) Liuqiu (a township in Pingtung County, Taiwan)

Usage notes

The variant forms to the right apply only to the first sense, which appears in various transcriptions in medieval Chinese accounts.

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (琉球):

• → Vietnamese: Lưu Cầu (琉球), lưu cầu (琉球)

• → Manchu: ᠯᡳᠣ
  ᡴᡳᠣ (lio kio)

(deprecated template usage)

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Japanese

Kanji in this term
琉	球
りゅう Jinmeiyō	きゅう Grade: 3
kan'on

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) りゅうきゅう [ryùúkyúꜜù] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [ɾʲɨːkʲɨː]

Proper noun

1. Ryukyu
2. Liuqiu Island, Taiwan

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d͡ʑukju/, /d͡ʑikju/, /d͡ʑiku/, /d͡ʑiki/

Proper noun

琉球(じゅきゅ) or 琉球(じきゅ) or 琉球(じく) or 琉球(ぢき) • (Jukyu or Jikyu or Jiku or Jiki) 

1. (dialect, Kagoshima) Ryukyu; Ryukyu Islands

Further reading

• “じゅきゅ【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “じきゅ【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “じく【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “ぢき・じき【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

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Okinawan

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɾuːt͡ɕuː/, /duːt͡ɕuː/

Proper noun

琉球 (hiragana るーちゅー, romaji Rūchū, alternative reading どぅーちゅー, romaji Dūchū)

1. Ryukyu, pertaining to the Ryukyu Islands or the former Ryukyu Kingdom

References

• “るーちゅー・どぅーちゅー【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
• “るーちゅー” in Okinawan Dictionary - KozaWeb.
• “ドゥーチュー” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).
• “ルーチュー” in Okinawa Center of Language Study, Shuri-Naha Dialect Dictionary (archived; reopens 2024).

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Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
琉	球

Noun

琉球

1. chữ Hán form of lưu cầu (“jade-inlaid sword”).

Proper noun

琉球

1. chữ Hán form of Lưu Cầu (“Ryukyu”).