洲

zhōu
州 + 氵

Definitions

zhōu (noun) continent; island in a river

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. 氵 represents the meaning and 州 represents the sound.

About

洲 is a phonosemantic compound: the water radical 氵 indicates the meaning, while 州 provides the sound. 州 was originally a pictograph of small islets in a river, but its meaning shifted to administrative provinces, so 氵 was added to create 洲 and restore the original geographical sense. Today, 洲 refers to landmasses surrounded by water , historically river islands , and now serves as the standard term for continents.

Example Sentences Hide

亚洲有很多国家。

Yàzhōu yǒu hěn duō guójiā.

Asia has many countries.

我喜欢欧洲的古老建筑。

Wǒ xǐhuān Ōuzhōu de gǔlǎo jiànzhú.

I like the ancient architecture of Europe.

他们计划去非洲旅行。

Tāmen jìhuà qù Fēizhōu lǚxíng.

They plan to travel to Africa.

大洋洲包括澳大利亚和新西兰。

Dàyángzhōu bāokuò Àodàlìyà hé Xīnxīlán.

Oceania includes Australia and New Zealand.

这是一次穿越南极洲的探险。

Zhè shì yī cì chuānyuè Nánjízhōu de tànxiǎn.

This is an expedition across Antarctica.

北美自由贸易区促进了北美洲的经济。

Běiměi Zìyóu Màoyì Qū cùjìnle Běiměizhōu de jīngjì.

The North American Free Trade Agreement promoted the economy of North America.

沙漠中的绿洲给了旅人希望。

Shāmò zhōng de lǜzhōu gěile lǚrén xīwàng.

The oasis in the desert gave the travelers hope.

洲际导弹的射程非常遥远。

Zhōujì dǎodàn de shèchéng fēichīng yáoyuǎn.

The range of an intercontinental ballistic missile is very far.

Related Characters

Component: 州

州 酬 喌 詶

Component: 氵

法 没 海 活 治 清 济 流 深 满 消 注 派 河

Example Words

亚洲 欧洲 澳洲 非洲 三角洲 五洲 大洲 株洲 欧洲人 欧洲杯 沙洲 洲际 琶洲 绿洲 美洲 非洲人 香洲 香洲区 中美洲 亚洲杯 北美洲 南极洲 南美洲 大洋洲