臺灣

See also: 台湾 and 台灣

Chinese

		phonetic
trad. (臺灣/台灣)		臺/台	灣
simp. (台湾)		台	湾

Etymology

Appears to be first attested in a memorial to the imperial government by official He Kai (何楷) in 1635:

今欲靖寇氛，非墟其窟不可。其窟維何？臺灣是也。臺灣在彭湖島外，距漳、泉止兩日夜程，地廣而腴。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

今欲靖寇氛，非墟其窟不可。其窟维何？台湾是也。台湾在彭湖岛外，距漳、泉止两日夜程，地广而腴。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

From: 17^th-18^th century, History of Ming

Jīn yù jìng kòufēn, fēi xū qí kū bùkě. Qí kū wéi hé? Táiwān shì yě. Táiwān zài Pénghú dǎo wài, jù Zhāng, Quán zhǐ liǎng rì yè chéng, dì guǎng ér yú. [Pinyin]

If we are to subdue the bandits, we must destroy their hideout. Where is their hideout, then? It's Taiwan. Taiwan is further from Penghu, with a distance of two days away from Zhangzhou and Quanzhou, and the land is large and fertile.

Officially, no later than 1684 with the creation of Taiwan Prefecture (臺灣府). A phonetic transliteration of an ethnonym of a tribe (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?) in the southwest part of the island in the area of Anping, Tainan, southwest Taiwan, variously recorded in Dutch records as Tayouan or Tayowan or Taiouwang. A Dutch missionary referred to this group as Taiouwang no later than 1636. Other phonetic transliterations in Chinese characters included 大員 [1603], 大圓 [1617], 臺員, and 大灣 [circa 1624], as placenames 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 that eventually became the name of the entire island.

Possibly derived from Siraya. (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

By surface analysis, 臺／台 (tái, “terraced”) +‎ 灣／湾 (wān, “bay”).

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Standard)

  (Pinyin): Táiwān

  (Zhuyin): ㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ

  (Dungan, Cyrillic and Wiktionary): Тэван (Tevan, I-I)

• Cantonese

  (Guangzhou–Hong Kong, Jyutping): toi⁴ waan¹

  (Taishan, Wiktionary): hoi³ van¹

• Hakka

  (Sixian, PFS): Thòi-vàn / Thòi-vân

  (Hailu, HRS): toi van

  (Meixian, Guangdong): toi² van¹

• Eastern Min (BUC): Dài-uăng / Dài-uàng

• Puxian Min (Pouseng Ping'ing): dai² uang² / dai² uong²
• Southern Min

  (Hokkien, POJ): Tâi-oân

  (Teochew, Peng'im): tai⁵ uêng¹ / tai⁵ uang¹

• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶de-ue

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: Táiwān
    • Zhuyin: ㄊㄞˊ ㄨㄢ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: Táiwan
    • Wade–Giles: Tʻai²-wan¹
    • Yale: Tái-wān
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Tairuan
    • Palladius: Тайвань (Tajvanʹ)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰaɪ̯³⁵ wän⁵⁵/
  • (Dungan)
    • Cyrillic and Wiktionary: Тэван (Tevan, I-I)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɛ²⁴ væ̃²⁴/

    (Note: Dungan pronunciation is currently experimental and may be inaccurate.)

• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: toi⁴ waan¹
    • Yale: tòih wāan
    • Cantonese Pinyin: toi⁴ waan¹
    • Guangdong Romanization: toi⁴ wan¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰɔːi̯²¹ waːn⁵⁵/
  • (Taishanese, Taicheng)
    • Wiktionary: hoi³ van¹
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /hᵘɔi²² van³³/
• Hakka
  • (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
    • Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Thòi-vàn / Thòi-vân
    • Hakka Romanization System: toi^ˇ van^ˇ / toi^ˇ van^ˊ
    • Hagfa Pinyim: toi² van² / toi² van¹
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰoi̯¹¹ van¹¹/, /tʰoi̯¹¹ van²⁴/
  • (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
    • Hakka Romanization System: toi van
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰoi⁵⁵ van⁵⁵/
  • (Meixian)
    • Guangdong: toi² van¹
    • Sinological IPA: /tʰoɪ¹¹ ʋan⁴⁴/
• Eastern Min
  • (Fuzhou)
    • Bàng-uâ-cê: Dài-uăng / Dài-uàng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tai⁵³⁻⁵⁵ uaŋ⁵⁵/, /tai⁵³⁻³³ uaŋ⁵³/
• Puxian Min
  • (Putian)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: dai² uang² [Phonetic: dai⁵ uang²]
    • Báⁿ-uā-ci̍: Dái-uáng
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tai¹³⁻²¹ uaŋ¹³/
  • (Xianyou)
    • Pouseng Ping'ing: dai² uong² [Phonetic: dai⁵ uong²]
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tai¹³⁻²¹ uoŋ¹³/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tâi-oân
    • Tâi-lô: Tâi-uân
    • Phofsit Daibuun: dai'oaan
    • IPA (Xiamen): /tai²⁴⁻²² uan²⁴/
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /tai²⁴⁻²² uan²⁴/
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /tai¹³⁻²² uan¹³/
    • IPA (Taipei): /tai²⁴⁻¹¹ uan²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /tai²³⁻³³ uan²³/
  • (Teochew)
    • Peng'im: tai⁵ uêng¹ / tai⁵ uang¹
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: thâi ueng / thâi uang
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /tʰai⁵⁵⁻¹¹ ueŋ³³/, /tʰai⁵⁵⁻¹¹ uaŋ³³/

Note:

• tai5 uêng1 - Chaozhou;
• tai5 uang1 - Shantou, Jieyang.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶de-ue
    • MiniDict: de^去 ue
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³de-ue
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /de²² ue⁴⁴/

Proper noun

臺灣

1. (～島) Taiwan (island)

   臺灣原住民族／台湾原住民族  ―  Táiwān yuánzhùmínzú  ―  Taiwanese aboriginal people

   臺灣文學專題／台湾文学专题  ―  Táiwān wénxué zhuāntí  ―  special topics on Taiwanese literature

2. (～省) Taiwan Province (administrative division in both the Republic of China and People's Republic of China)
3. (～地區) Taiwan Area (Taiwan, Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu, and some minor islands, which are de facto governed by the Republic of China)

   • 金門縣縣長星期一呼籲當局允許該縣直接從大陸採購疫苗，有這一願望的臺灣縣市恐怕不止金門一家，但民進黨當局會否為保蒼生之安開這個口子，非常令人懷疑。 [MSC, trad.]
     金门县县长星期一呼吁当局允许该县直接从大陆采购疫苗，有这一愿望的台湾县市恐怕不止金门一家，但民进党当局会否为保苍生之安开这个口子，非常令人怀疑。 [MSC, simp.]

     From: 2021 May 19, 《台湾抗疫，民进党当局太分心了》, in Global Times, →ISSN, issue 5360, page 14

     Jīnmén Xiàn xiànzhǎng xīngqīyī hūyù dāngjú yǔnxǔ gāi xiàn zhíjiē cóng Dàlù cǎigòu yìmiáo, yǒu zhè yī yuànwàng de Táiwān xiàn shì kǒngpà bùzhǐ Jīnmén yī jiā, dàn Mínjìndǎng dāngjú huìfǒu wèi bǎo cāngshēng zhī ān kāi zhège kǒuzi, fēicháng lìng rén huáiyí. [Pinyin]

     (please add an English translation of this usage example)

Usage notes

• Although use of the full traditional form 臺 is encouraged by the ROC Ministry of Education, the alternate traditional form 台 is now more commonly used in Taiwan, and is the standard in Hong Kong. Further, the form 台湾, coincidentally the Simplified Chinese form, is frequently used in Taiwan.
• In Min Nan, the character 灣／湾 is usually read as oan (e.g., 海灣／海湾). The reading of oân in the context of the toponym Taiwan is an exception stemming from the historical variant 臺員／台员, and 臺灣／台湾 is properly read as Tâi-oân.

Synonyms

• (Taiwan): (historical, poetic) 福爾摩沙／福尔摩沙 (Fú'ěrmóshā), (poetic) 寶島／宝岛 (Bǎodǎo)

Derived terms

• 國臺辦／国台办 (Guótáibàn)
• 憂鬱的臺灣烏龜／憂鬱的台灣烏龜／忧郁的台湾乌龟 (yōuyù de Táiwān wūguī)
• 港澳臺／港澳台 (Gǎng-Ào-Tái)
• 臺灣人／台灣人／台湾人 (táiwānrén)
• 臺灣光復節／台灣光復節／台湾光复节 (Táiwān Guāngfùjié)
• 臺灣共和國／台灣共和國／台湾共和国 (Táiwān Gònghéguó)
• 臺灣地區／台灣地區／台湾地区 (Táiwān Dìqū)
• 臺灣尾／台灣尾／台湾尾
• 臺灣島／台灣島／台湾岛 (Táiwāndǎo)
• 臺灣杉／台灣杉／台湾杉 (táiwānshān)
• 臺灣海峽／台灣海峽／台湾海峡 (Táiwān Hǎixiá)
• 臺灣環頸雉／台灣環頸雉／台湾环颈雉 (Táiwān Huánjǐngzhì)
• 臺灣當局／台灣當局／台湾当局 (Táiwān dāngjú)
• 臺灣相思／台灣相思／台湾相思 (táiwān xiāngsī)
• 臺灣話／台灣話／台湾话 (Táiwānhuà)
• 臺灣錢，淹跤目／台灣錢，淹跤目／台湾钱，淹跤目 (Táiwān qián, yān jiāomù)
• 臺灣頭／台灣頭／台湾头
• 臺灣黃楊／台灣黃楊／台湾黄杨 (Táiwān huángyáng)
• 臺灣黑熊／台灣黑熊／台湾黑熊 (táiwān hēixióng)
• 臺辦／台办 (Táibàn)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (臺灣):

• → Japanese: 台(たい)湾(わん) (Taiwan)
• → Korean: 대만(臺灣) (Daeman)
• → Vietnamese: Đài Loan (臺灣)

Others:

• → Arabic: تَايْوَان (tāywān)
• → Armenian: Թայվան (Tʻayvan)
• → Bulgarian: Тайван (Tajvan)
• → Burmese: ထိုင်ဝမ် (htuing-wam)
• → Catalan: Taiwan
• → Czech: Tchaj-wan, Taiwan
• → Dutch: Taiwan
• → English: Taiwan
• → Korean: 타이완 (Taiwan)
• → Portuguese: Taiwan
• → French: Taïwan
• → Manchu: ᡨᠠᡳᠸᠠᠨ (taiwan)
• → Persian: تایوان (tâyvân)
• → Polish: Tajwan
• → Russian: Тайвань (Tajvanʹ)
• → Spanish: Taiwán
• → Tibetan: ཐའེ་ཝན (tha'e wan)
• → Turkish: Tayvan
• → Zhuang: Daizvanh

See also

• 中華民國／中华民国 (Zhōnghuá Mínguó)
• 中華臺北／中华台北 (Zhōnghuá Táiběi)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
臺	灣
たい Hyōgai	わん Hyōgai
on'yomi

For pronunciation and definitions of 臺灣 – see the following entry.

【台湾たいわん】 [proper noun] Taiwan

(This term, 臺灣, is the kyūjitai of the above term.)

Korean

Hanja in this term
臺	灣

Proper noun

臺灣 • (Daeman) (hangeul 대만)

1. hanja form^? of 대만 (“Taiwan”)

Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term
臺	灣

Proper noun

臺灣

1. chữ Hán form of Đài Loan (“Taiwan”).