# 北極熊
## Chinese
### Etymology

Compare Japanese 北極熊 (hokkyokuguma), Korean 북극곰 (Bukgeukgom), Vietnamese gấu Bắc Cực, all of which literally mean “arctic bear”.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): běijíxióng
    (Zhuyin): ㄅㄟˇ ㄐㄧˊ ㄒㄩㄥˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): bak$^1$ gik$^6$ hung$^4$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): pet-khi̍t-yùng
* Southern Min
    (Hokkien, POJ): pak-ke̍k-hîm / pak-kia̍k-hîm
    (Teochew, Peng'im): bag$^4$ gêg$^8$ him$^5$
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: běijíxióng
*** Zhuyin: ㄅㄟˇ ㄐㄧˊ ㄒㄩㄥˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: běijísyóng
*** Wade–Giles: pei$^3$-chi$^2$-hsiung$^2$
*** Yale: běi-jí-syúng
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: beeijyishyong
*** Palladius: бэйцзисюн (bɛjczisjun)
*** Sinological IPA : /peɪ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ t͡ɕi³⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: bak$^1$ gik$^6$ hung$^4$
*** Yale: bāk gihk hùhng
*** Cantonese Pinyin: bak$^7$ gik$^9$ hung$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: beg$^1$ gig$^6$ hung$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /pɐk̚⁵ kɪk̚² hʊŋ²¹/
* Hakka
** (Northern Sixian, incl. Miaoli)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pet-khi̍t-yùng
*** Hakka Romanization System: bed$^ˋ$ kid iung$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: bed$^5$ kid$^6$ yung$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /pet̚² kʰit̚⁵ i̯uŋ¹¹/
** (Southern Sixian, incl. Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: pet-khi̍t-yùng
*** Hakka Romanization System: bed$^ˋ$ kid (r)iung$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: bed$^5$ kid$^6$ yung$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /pet̚² kʰit̚⁵ (j)i̯uŋ¹¹/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: Xiamen, Zhangzhou, General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pak-ke̍k-hîm
*** Tâi-lô: pak-ki̍k-hîm
*** Phofsit Daibuun: pakkeghiim
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ kiɪk̚⁴⁻³² him²³/
*** IPA (Xiamen, Taipei): /pak̚³²⁻⁴ kiɪk̚⁴⁻³² him²⁴/
*** IPA (Zhangzhou): /pak̚³²⁻⁵ kiɪk̚¹²¹⁻²¹ him¹³/
** (Hokkien: Quanzhou)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pak-kia̍k-hîm
*** Tâi-lô: pak-kia̍k-hîm
*** Phofsit Daibuun: pakkiaghiim
*** IPA (Quanzhou): /pak̚⁵⁻²⁴ kiak̚²⁴⁻² him²⁴/
** (Teochew)
*** Peng'im: bag$^4$ gêg$^8$ him$^5$
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī-like: pak ke̍k hîm
*** Sinological IPA : /pak̚²⁻⁴ kek̚⁴⁻² him⁵⁵/

### Noun

北極熊
* polar bear

#### Synonyms

* 白熊 (báixióng)

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 北 | 極 | 熊 |
| ほく > ほっ Grade: 2 | きょく Grade: 4 | くま > ぐま Grade: 4 |
* Alternative spelling
* 北極グマ

### Etymology

Compound of 北極 (Hokkyoku, “North Pole; Arctic”) +‎ 熊 (kuma, “bear”). The kuma changes to guma as an instance of rendaku (連濁).
Compare Chinese 北極熊／北极熊 (běijíxióng), Korean 북극곰 (Bukgeukgom), Vietnamese gấu Bắc Cực, all of which literally mean “arctic bear”.

### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) ほっきょくぐま [hòkkyókúꜜgùmà] (Nakadaka – [4])
* IPA: [ho̞k̚ʲkʲo̞kɯ̟ɡɯ̟ma̠]

### Noun

北(ほっ)極(きょく)熊(ぐま) or 北極熊(ほっきょくグマ) or 北極熊(ホッキョクグマ) • (Hokkyokuguma)
* a polar bear

#### Usage notes

As with many terms that name organisms, this term is often spelled in katakana, especially in biological contexts (where katakana is customary), as ホッキョクグマ.

#### Synonyms

* 白(しろ)熊(くま) (shirokuma)

### References

* ↑ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* 1 2 Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
* ↑ Matsumura, Akira (1995) 大辞泉 [Daijisen] (in Japanese), First edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN