Jiulong
/tɕjoʊ̯˨˩˦ lʊŋ˧˥/noun
Jiulong is the Mandarin Chinese name meaning “Nine Dragons,” also used for places and districts in China, including Kowloon in Hong Kong.
Did you know?The traditional explanation for Hong Kong’s Kowloon is that eight surrounding hills represented dragons, while the ninth was the emperor himself—a geomantic reading later attached to the name.
Etymological Timeline
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
九 (*Cˤuʔ)
“The numeral nine”
Old Chinese
Old Chinese
龍 (*mə.rˤoŋ)
“Dragon; a powerful mythic serpent-like creature”
Medieval China
Middle Chinese
九龍 (*kə̌u ljowŋ)
“Nine dragons”
19th Century
Cantonese
九龍 (Gau2 Lung4)
“Nine dragons; the source of the English place-name Kowloon”
Modern English
English
Jiulong / Kowloon
“A Chinese place name, especially Jiulong District in Chongqing or Kowloon in Hong Kong”