Chaozhou
/ˌtʃaʊˈdʒoʊ/noun
A historic city and cultural region in eastern Guangdong, China, also known in English as Teochew.
Did you know?Chaozhou is the Mandarin-based spelling, while Teochew comes from the local pronunciation and became especially prominent among overseas Chinese communities.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
潮
“Tide, tidal water, or sea current”
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
州
“An administrative territory or prefecture; originally a tract of land surrounded by water”
6th Century
Middle Chinese
潮州
“The name of a prefecture established in southern China during the Sui period”
19th Century
Teochew
Tiô-chiu
“The local pronunciation of 潮州, later rendered in various romanizations”
19th–20th Century
English
Teochew / Chiuchow
“English forms used for the region, its people, and its language”
Modern English
Mandarin Chinese
Cháozhōu
“The standard Mandarin romanization, now commonly written Chaozhou”