# 琉球
## Chinese

* 琉球 (Written Standard Chinese)
* Liuqiu (English)

### Etymology

First attested in 《隋書》 (636) as 流求 (MC ljuw gjuw). Further origin unknown.

### Pronunciation

* Mandarin
    (Pinyin): Liúqiú
    (Zhuyin): ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ
* Cantonese (Jyutping): lau$^4$ kau$^4$
* Hakka (Sixian, PFS): Liù-khiù
* Eastern Min (BUC): Liù-giù
* Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Liû-khiû / Liû-kiû
* Wu (Shanghai, Wugniu): $^6$lieu-jieu
* Mandarin
** (Standard Chinese)
*** Hanyu Pinyin: Liúqiú
*** Zhuyin: ㄌㄧㄡˊ ㄑㄧㄡˊ
*** Tongyong Pinyin: Lióucióu
*** Wade–Giles: Liu$^2$-chʻiu$^2$
*** Yale: Lyóu-chyóu
*** Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Liouchyou
*** Palladius: Люцю (Ljucju)
*** Sinological IPA : /li̯oʊ̯³⁵ t͡ɕʰi̯oʊ̯³⁵/
* Cantonese
** (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)
*** Jyutping: lau$^4$ kau$^4$
*** Yale: làuh kàuh
*** Cantonese Pinyin: lau$^4$ kau$^4$
*** Guangdong Romanization: leo$^4$ keo$^4$
*** Sinological IPA : /lɐu̯²¹ kʰɐu̯²¹/
* Hakka
** (Sixian, incl. Miaoli and Neipu)
*** Pha̍k-fa-sṳ: Liù-khiù
*** Hakka Romanization System: liu$^ˇ$ kiu$^ˇ$
*** Hagfa Pinyim: liu$^2$ kiu$^2$
*** Sinological IPA: /li̯u¹¹ kʰi̯u¹¹/
* Eastern Min
** (Fuzhou)
*** Bàng-uâ-cê: Liù-giù
*** Sinological IPA : /l̃ieu⁵³⁻³³ $^{(k-)}$ieu⁵³/
* Southern Min
** (Hokkien: General Taiwanese)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liû-khiû
*** Tâi-lô: Liû-khiû
*** Phofsit Daibuun: liu'qiuu
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /liu²³⁻³³ kʰiu²³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /liu²⁴⁻¹¹ kʰiu²⁴/
** (Hokkien: variant in Taiwan)
*** Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Liû-kiû
*** Tâi-lô: Liû-kiû
*** Phofsit Daibuun: liu'kiuu
*** IPA (Kaohsiung): /liu²³⁻³³ kiu²³/
*** IPA (Taipei): /liu²⁴⁻¹¹ kiu²⁴/
* Wu
** (Northern: Shanghai)
*** Wugniu: $^6$lieu-jieu
*** MiniDict: lieu$^去$ jieu
*** Wiktionary Romanisation (Shanghai): $^3$lieu-jjieu
*** Sinological IPA (Shanghai): /liɤ²² d͡ʑiɤ⁴⁴/

### Proper noun

琉球
* Ryukyu, Ryūkyū (an archipelago in Japan)
* (historical) Liuqiu, Lieuchieu (a legendary kingdom east of medieval China variously placed in the Okinawa, Taiwan, or the Penghu Islands)
* (～嶼) Liuqiu (an island in Pingtung County, Taiwan)
    Synonym: 小琉球 (Xiǎoliúqiú)
    From: 陳一郎, 行船人的純情曲
    Poeh-goe̍h cha̍p-gō͘ hit chi̍t kang, chûn beh lī-khui Liû-khiû káng. [Pe̍h-ōe-jī]
    On August fifteenth, the boat will be leaving the harbour of Xiaoliuqiu Island.
* (～鄉) Liuqiu (a township in Pingtung County, Taiwan)

#### Derived terms

* 琉球兔 (liúqiútù)
* 琉球國 / 琉球国
* 琉球族 (Liúqiúzú)
* 琉球群島 / 琉球群岛 (Liúqiú Qúndǎo)
* 琉球象棋
* 琉球鼠李 (Liúqiú shǔlǐ)

#### Descendants

* → Japanese: 琉球(りゅうきゅう) (ryūkyū)
* → Vietnamese: Lưu Cầu (琉球), lưu cầu (琉球)
Others:
* → Manchu: ᠯᡳᠣ ᡴᡳᠣ (lio kio)
* → Portuguese: leque

## Japanese

Kanji in this term :
| 琉 | 球 |
| りゅう Jinmeiyō | きゅう Grade: 3 |
| kan'on ||

### Etymology 1

Borrowed from Middle Chinese 流求.
First attested to a text in roughly 835 CE.

#### Pronunciation

* (Tokyo) りゅうきゅう [ryùúkyúꜜù] (Nakadaka – [3])
* IPA: [ɾʲɨːkʲɨː]
* (Tokyo) Note: The word 琉球 is Nakadaka, however, it is a word that becomes flat with の and is then pronounced as:
   * りゅうきゅうの

#### Proper noun

琉(りゅう)球(きゅう) • (Ryūkyū)
* Ryukyu
* Liuqiu Island, Taiwan

##### Derived terms

* 琉球藍(リュウキュウアイ) (Ryūkyū ai)
* 琉(りゅう)球(きゅう)瘡(そう) (ryūkyū sō)

### Etymology 2
#### Pronunciation

* (Kagoshima) IPA: /d͡ʑukju/, /d͡ʑikju/, /d͡ʑiku/, /d͡ʑiki/

#### Proper noun

琉球(じゅきゅ) or 琉球(じきゅ) or 琉球(じく) or 琉球(ぢき) • (Jukyu or Jikyu or Jiku or Jiki)
* (Kagoshima) Ryukyu; Ryukyu Islands

### Further reading

* “じゅきゅ【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
* “じきゅ【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
* “じく【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
* “ぢき・じき【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.

### References

* ↑ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
* ↑ NHK Broadcasting Culture Research Institute, editor (1998), NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 [NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary] (in Japanese), Tokyo: NHK Publishing, Inc., →ISBN

## Okinawan

Kanji in this term :
| 琉 | 球 |
| Jinmeiyō | Grade: 3 |

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ɾuːt͡ɕuː/, /duːt͡ɕuː/, /luːt͡ɕuː/

### Proper noun

琉球(るーちゅー) or 琉球(どぅーちゅー) (Rūchū or Dūchū)
* Ryukyu, pertaining to the Ryukyu Islands or the former Ryukyu Kingdom

### References

* “るーちゅー・どぅーちゅー【琉球】” in JLect - Japonic Languages and Dialects Database Dictionary, 2019.
* “るーちゅー” in Okinawan Dictionary - KozaWeb.

## Vietnamese

chữ Hán Nôm in this term :
| 琉 | 球 |

### Noun

琉球
* chữ Hán form of lưu cầu (“jade-inlaid sword”).

### Proper noun

琉球
* chữ Hán form of Lưu Cầu (“Ryukyu”).