Definitions

ào (noun) deep bay; cove; harbor
(noun) Macau; Australia (abbr.)

Etymology

Phonosemantic compound. represents the meaning and represents the sound.

Semantic: Phonetic:

About

The character "澳" is structured with the water radical (氵) on the left and the component "奧" (simplified as "奥") on the right, where "奧" provides phonetic guidance and implies a sense of depth or interior space. Etymologically, it initially described a deep or sheltered bay along a coastline, aligning with its water-related radical. Its meaning later narrowed from this general geographical concept to become associated with specific place names, primarily referring to Macau (澳門) and Australia (澳洲), thus shifting from a common noun to a proper noun in modern usage.

Etymology Hide

Seal etymology image
Seal Shuowen (~100 AD)
Traditional Modern
Simplified Modern

Example Sentences Hide

大利亚是一个国家。

Àodàlìyà shì yīgè guójiā.

Australia is a country.

门是中国的特别行政区。

Àomén shì Zhōngguó de tèbié xíngzhèngqū.

Macau is a special administrative region of China.

洲有很多独特的动物。

Àozhōu yǒu hěnduō dútè de dòngwù.

Australia has many unique animals.

元是大利亚的货币。

Àoyuán shì Àodàlìyà de huòbì.

The Australian dollar is the currency of Australia.

我今年看了网的比赛。

Wǒ jīnnián kànle Ào wǎng de bǐsài.

I watched the Australian Open match this year.

地区旅游非常受欢迎。

Gǎng Ào dìqū lǚyóu fēicháng shòu huānyíng.

Tourism in Hong Kong and Macau is very popular.

式足球在大利亚很流行。

Àoshì zúqiú zài Àodàlìyà hěn liúxíng.

Australian rules football is very popular in Australia.

航的航班从北京飞往悉尼。

Ào háng de hángbān cóng Běijīng fēi wǎng Xīní.

Qantas flights fly from Beijing to Sydney.