The Chinese word 嘉年华 (jiāniánhuá) for "carnival" is a phonetic loanword, formed through a process of transliteration from the English word "carnival." The characters were selected primarily for their sound—嘉 (jiā) approximates "ca," 年 (nián) approximates "ni," and 华 (huá) approximates "val"—but were also cleverly chosen for their positive semantic meanings: 嘉 means "excellent," 年 means "year," and 华 means "splendor" or "prosperity," thus collectively creating an auspicious and festive connotation that aligns perfectly with the event's lively spirit.