Fujian
/ˌfuːdʒiˈæn/noun
A province on the southeastern coast of China, facing the Taiwan Strait.
Did you know?Fujian is often abbreviated as 闽 (Mǐn), a character traditionally associated with the region’s ancient identity and sometimes interpreted through imagery of a creature inside a gate.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient period
Old Chinese
閩 (Mǐn)
“An ancient name for the southeastern region and its peoples; it remains Fujian’s traditional abbreviation.”
7th–8th Century
Middle Chinese
福州 (Fúzhōu)
“Fuzhou, literally “blessed prefecture,” one of the two place-names later used to form Fujian.”
7th–8th Century
Middle Chinese
建州 (Jiànzhōu)
“Jianzhou, a historical prefecture in the northern interior of present-day Fujian.”
733
Tang Chinese
福建
“The name was created from 福州 (Fuzhou) and 建州 (Jianzhou), under the Tang administration.”
Song Dynasty
Middle Chinese
福建路 (Fújiàn Lù)
“The Fujian Circuit, an official administrative division that helped establish the name’s enduring regional use.”
Modern English
English
Fujian
“The standard English form, based on the Mandarin pronunciation represented in Hanyu Pinyin.”