Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) |
|---|---|
| 澳大利亞的 / 澳大利亚的 | Àodàlìyà de |
| 澳- | Ào- |
The term is used as an adjective to describe things pertaining to Australia, its people or its languages. You can also use the related noun forms 澳大利亞人 / 澳大利亚人 or 澳洲人 to refer to a person from Australia.
What does it mean word for word?
The adjective is formed by taking the proper noun 澳大利亞 (Australia) and adding the particle 的, which functions like "of" or "'s" to turn the noun into an adjective.
Which one should you use?
The full name 澳大利亞 is often shortened to 澳洲 in spoken Chinese. Consequently, you can use the shortened versions 澳洲的 for the adjective or 澳洲人 for the noun.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
To refer to an Australian person, the formal way is to use 澳大利亞人 / 澳大利亚人. In colloquial spoken Chinese, the shortened forms involving 澳洲 are very common.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The particle 的 is used to turn the proper noun 澳大利亞 into the adjective 澳大利亞的 / 澳大利亚的.
How do you pronounce it?
Àodàlìyà de
Did you know?
- In Chinese, 澳洲 is sometimes used as a shorthand for the broader region of Oceania, not just the country of Australia.
- The character 澳 in 澳大利亞 and 澳洲 originally refers to a bay or a deep inlet, a geographic term that has nothing to do with the continent of Australia.
- In many Chinese contexts, 'Australia' is shortened to just 澳 in specific formal terms, such as when discussing the 'Australia-China' relationship.
Examples in context
- 我认识很多澳大利亚人。I know many Australians.
- 玛丽是个澳洲人。Mary is an Australian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “australian” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
