三亞

See also: 三亚

Chinese

three second; inferior; Asia
trad. (三亞)
simp. (三亚)

Etymology

First attested in 1521 in 正德瓊台志.

Wang (2014) suggests that 三亞 is borrowed from a Hlai word meaning "field with crows".

  • (Hainanese /ta¹/) is borrowed from Hlai dax (field; farmland) (Heitu dialect: /naː²/).
  • (Hainanese /a¹/) is likely borrowed from Hlai eek (crow) (Heitu dialect: /ʔaːʔ⁹/).

Note that toponyms with as the first character are common in southern Hainan where the Hlai (Li) people live.

Originally referring to the area around Sanya Harbor (三亞港), it replaced 崖縣崖县 (Yáxiàn, “Ya County”) in 1984 to refer to the entire prefecture-level city.

Pronunciation


Proper noun

三亞

  1. () Sanya (a prefecture-level city in Hainan, China)

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (三亞):
  • Vietnamese: Tam Á (三亞)

other

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