Taiwan
/ˌtaɪˈwɑːn/noun
An island and self-governing political entity in East Asia.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes from an Indigenous Siraya place-name, and early European spellings like Tayouan/Taivoan were filtered through Dutch colonial records before becoming “Taiwan.”
Etymological Timeline
Pre-17th century
Siraya
Tayouan / Taivoan
“An Indigenous place-name for an area around the modern Tainan region, likely referring to a settlement or sandbar area”
17th Century
Dutch
Tayouan
“Dutch colonial spelling for the local name used in records and maps”
17th Century
Chinese
臺灣 / 台灣
“Chinese transcription and later standard name for the island”
17th-18th Century
European languages
Formosa
“A competing European name for the island, from Portuguese for “beautiful””
Modern English
English
Taiwan
“The modern English name for the island and polity”