琉球

Chinese

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

Etymology

First attested in 《隋書》 (636) as 流求 (MC ljuw gjuw). Further origin unknown.

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
• Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): ⁶lieu-jieu

---

• 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: liu^ˇ kiu^ˇ
    • 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.

• Wu
  • (Northern: Shanghai)
    • Wugniu: ⁶lieu-jieu
    • MiniDict: lieu^去 jieu
    • Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): ³lieu-jjieu
    • Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /liɤ²² d͡ʑiɤ⁴⁴/

Proper noun

琉球

1. Ryukyu, Ryūkyū (an archipelago in Japan)
2. (historical) Liuqiu, Lieuchieu (a legendary kingdom east of medieval China variously placed in the Okinawa, Taiwan, or the Penghu Islands)
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: 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 August fifteenth, the boat will be leaving the harbour of Xiaoliuqiu Island.

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

Derived terms

• 琉球兔 (liúqiútù)
• 琉球國／琉球国
• 琉球族 (Liúqiúzú)
• 琉球群島／琉球群岛 (Liúqiú Qúndǎo)
• 琉球象棋
• 琉球鼠李 (Liúqiú shǔlǐ)

 

Descendants

Sino-Xenic (琉球):

• → Japanese: 琉球(りゅうきゅう) (ryūkyū)
• → Vietnamese: Lưu Cầu (琉球), lưu cầu (琉球)

Others:

• → Manchu: ᠯᡳᠣ
  ᡴᡳᠣ (lio kio)
• → Portuguese: leque

Japanese

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

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 流求.

First attested to a text in roughly 835 CE.

Pronunciation

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

Proper noun

琉(りゅう)球(きゅう) • (Ryūkyū) ^{←りうきう (riukiu)?}

1. Ryukyu
2. Liuqiu Island, Taiwan

Derived terms

• 琉球藍(リュウキュウアイ) (Ryūkyū ai)
• 琉(りゅう)球(きゅう)瘡(そう) (ryūkyū sō)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Kagoshima) 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. (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.

Okinawan

Kanji in this term
琉	球
Jinmeiyō	Grade: 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɾuːt͡ɕuː/, /duːt͡ɕuː/, /luːt͡ɕuː/

Proper noun

琉球(るーちゅー) or 琉球(どぅーちゅー) (Rūchū or 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.

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”).