Jiangsu
/ˌdʒiːɑːŋˈsuː/noun
A province of eastern China, situated on the lower Yangtze River and the Yellow Sea.
Did you know?The name was created in the Qing dynasty by abbreviating Jiangning, now Nanjing, and Suzhou—turning two city names into one provincial identity.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Chinese
Old Chinese
江
“A large river; later especially associated with the Yangtze River”
Ancient China
Chinese
姑苏
“Gusu, an ancient name associated with the area of present-day Suzhou”
589 CE
Chinese
苏州
“Suzhou, a prefecture established under the Sui dynasty and traditionally linked to Gusu”
1368–1644
Ming Chinese
江南
“Jiangnan, the region south of the lower Yangtze, including much of present-day Jiangsu”
1667
Qing Chinese
江苏
“A shortened compound formed from Jiangning and Suzhou”
Modern English
English
Jiangsu
“The modern English romanization of 江苏, the name of the Chinese province”