(zhōu) - state, prefecture, administrative region in Mandarin
zhōuTraditional: 州
Translation
state, prefecture, administrative region
Word origin
A pictograph of land standing between the currents of a river, first an islet and then an administrative district built around one.
- Origin
- pictograph
- Root
- 州 (zhōu), islets drawn between the strokes of a river
Stroke order
州
Examples
。
He lives in California.
。
The laws are different in every state.
。
This state is very large.
。
Guangzhou is a big city.
。
He drove over from another state.
州 (zhōu) is the character used for a state of the United States, a canton, a prefecture, and the old Chinese administrative regions that gave so many cities their names. 加州 is California, 德州 is Texas, and 广州 and 杭州 carry the same character from a thousand years earlier.
For English speakers the trap is 州 against 省 (shěng). A Chinese province is a 省, an American state is a 州, and swapping them is the sort of error that gets noticed immediately. Modern mainland China has no 州 as a live top-level unit; it survives in place names and in translations of foreign systems.
Do not confuse it with its homophone 周 (zhōu), which is a week and also a surname. Same sound, same tone, very different characters.
Where this fits
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州: worksheet, infographic and listicle
Free printable study downloads for the Mandarin word "州" (state, prefecture, administrative region): a worksheet with the answer key built in, an infographic, and a sentence listicle. Open any one to view, print or save.
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Start your free weekThis word is part of lesson 50.