林投

Chinese

		woods; forest	to throw; to send
simp. and trad. (林投)		林	投

Etymology

There is a folk etymology that the name derives from the Taiwanese folktale/legend of 'Sister Pandanus' (林投姐), in which the titular character commits suicide by throwing herself from the pandanus tree (and by extension 'forest').

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “phonetic transcription of word in a Taiwanese Aboriginal language?”)

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): líntóu

(Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄊㄡˊ
Cantonese (Jyutping): lam⁴ tau⁴
Hakka
(Sixian, PFS): nà-tàu

(Hailu, HRS): na dau
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): nâ-tâu

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: líntóu
  - Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄣˊ ㄊㄡˊ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: líntóu
  - Wade–Giles: lin²-tʻou²
  - Yale: lín-tóu
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: lintour
  - Palladius: линьтоу (linʹtou)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lin³⁵ tʰoʊ̯³⁵/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: lam⁴ tau⁴
  - Yale: làhm tàuh
  - Cantonese Pinyin: lam⁴ tau⁴
  - Guangdong Romanization: lem⁴ teo⁴
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /lɐm²¹ tʰɐu̯²¹/
Hakka
- (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
  - Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: nà-tàu
  - Hakka Romanization System: na^ˇ dau^ˇ
  - Hagfa Pinyim: na² dau²
  - Sinological IPA: /na¹¹ tau̯¹¹/
- (Hailu, incl. Zhudong)
  - Hakka Romanization System: na dau
  - Sinological IPA: /na⁵⁵ tau⁵⁵/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: nâ-tâu
  - Tâi-lô: nâ-tâu
  - Phofsit Daibuun: na'daau
  - IPA (Xiamen): /nã²⁴⁻²² tau²⁴/
  - IPA (Quanzhou): /nã²⁴⁻²² tau²⁴/
  - IPA (Zhangzhou): /nã¹³⁻²² tau¹³/
  - IPA (Taipei): /nã²⁴⁻¹¹ tau²⁴/
  - IPA (Kaohsiung): /nã²³⁻³³ tau²³/

Noun

林投

pandanus (Pandanus tectorius)

Derived terms

林投果 (líntóuguǒ)
林投菇
番仔林投

References

“Entry #22248”, in 臺灣客語辭典 [Dictionary of Taiwan Hakka] (overall work in Chinese and Hakka), Ministry of Education, R.O.C., 2022.