Hainan
/haɪˈnæn/noun
Hainan is a tropical island province of southern China, located in the South China Sea.
Did you know?The name Hainan is written 海南, combining hǎi (“sea”) and nán (“south”), a straightforward directional name preserved in Chinese geography for centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Classical Chinese
Chinese
海南
“South of the sea”
Han Dynasty
Chinese
海南
“A geographic designation for lands south of the mainland sea frontier”
Medieval Chinese
Chinese
瓊州 / Qióngzhōu
“Qiong Prefecture, an older administrative name associated with Hainan”
19th Century
English
Hainan
“English rendering of the Chinese place name 海南”
Modern English
English
Hainan
“China’s southern island province and the island itself”