西語
See also: 西语
Chinese
| west | speech; language; dialect speech; language; dialect; tell to | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| trad. (西語) | 西 | 語 | |
| simp. (西语) | 西 | 语 | |
Pronunciation
- Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)
- Hanyu Pinyin: xīyǔ
- Zhuyin: ㄒㄧ ㄩˇ
- Tongyong Pinyin: siyǔ
- Wade–Giles: hsi1-yü3
- Yale: syī-yǔ
- Gwoyeu Romatzyh: shiyeu
- Palladius: сиюй (sijuj)
- Sinological IPA (key): /ɕi⁵⁵ y²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- Homophones:
[Show/Hide] 西予
西語 / 西语
- (Standard Chinese)
- Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
- Jyutping: sai1 jyu5
- Yale: sāi yúh
- Cantonese Pinyin: sai1 jy5
- Guangdong Romanization: sei1 yu5
- Sinological IPA (key): /sɐi̯⁵⁵ jyː¹³/
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)+
Noun
西語
Usage notes
In ancient times, this word referred to the languages of Xiyu or the Western Regions, and sometimes to Sanskrit as well. During the 19th and 20th centuries, people mostly used this word to refer to European languages. This usage—referring to languages in general rather than any specific one—remains standard to this day, as defined in the 7th edition of Xiandai Hanyu Cidian. Nonetheless, it is increasingly used nowadays as a shorthand of Spanish. The original sense is rarely used now and is gradually being forgotten.
Synonyms
Japanese
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 西 | 語 |
| せい Grade: 2 |
ご Grade: 2 |
| on'yomi | |
Etymology
西 (sei, which is an ateji (当て字) abbreviation for 西班牙 (Supein, “Spain”)) + 語 (go, “language”)
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [se̞ːɡo̞]
Noun
西語 • (seigo)