Tainan
/ˈtaɪˌnɑːn/noun
A city in southwestern Taiwan and the island’s former administrative capital.
Did you know?Tainan was the center of Taiwan’s early colonial history, including the Dutch stronghold Fort Zeelandia and later Qing administration.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Sino-Tibetan / Old Chinese
Old Chinese
*nˤam
“South; the direction associated with the sun’s warmer side”
Medieval China
Middle Chinese
南 (nâm)
“South or southern”
17th Century
Taiwanese Hokkien
Tâi-lâm
“South of Taiwan”
17th–19th Century
Written Chinese
臺南 / 台南
“Southern Taiwan; the region south of Taiwan”
Modern English
English
Tainan
“A major city in southwestern Taiwan”