Huang He
/ˈhwɑːŋ hə/noun
The second-longest river in China, traditionally known in English as the Yellow River.
Did you know?The river appears yellow because vast quantities of fine, ochre-colored loess soil are suspended in its water, making the name a vivid physical description rather than a mythic one.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
黄河
“The river called Huang He; the first character denoted yellow or yellowish color, while the second meant river.”
6th–10th Century
Middle Chinese
hwang-ha
“The Middle Chinese pronunciation of the written compound 黄河.”
17th Century
European Latinization
Hoang-ho
“An older European transcription of the Chinese river name, based on historical southern Chinese or literary pronunciations.”
19th Century
English
Yellow River
“The established English translation of 黄河.”
20th Century
Modern Standard Chinese
Huáng Hé
“The Hanyu Pinyin romanization of 黄河, literally “Yellow River.””