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, formed by the water radical 氵 combined with the component 奥 acting primarily as a phonetic indicator, originally referred to a deep bay or sheltered inlet, with the right-hand element possibly hinting at the secluded nature of such waterways. Its meaning has consistently centered on aquatic geography, but over time it acquired additional roles in transliterating foreign names, such as in 澳门 for Macau and 澳大利亚 for Australia, where it provides phonetic approximation while still evoking a sense of a water-related locale.

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.