埃及
āijí/ˀaɪ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵/
In Chinese, Egypt is said as 埃及 (āijí).
Meaning: country in North Africa (name)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 埃及 | āijí | /ˀaɪ̯⁵⁵ t͡ɕi³⁵/ (Mandarin, Standard Chinese, Sinological IPA) | |
| 埃及 | Ai-ki̍p | /ai⁴⁴⁻²² kip̚⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Sinological IPA, Xiamen) /ai³³ kip̚²⁴/ (Min Nan, Hokkien, Sinological IPA, Quanzhou) |
Hokkien |
埃及 is the name for the country located in North Africa.
Which one should you use?
While 埃及 is the standard way to refer to the country, 埃及共和国 can be used to mean the Egyptian Republic.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form 埃及 is also identified as Hokkien (Ai-ki̍p), though it is the most common way to say Egypt in Mandarin Chinese.
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is Ai-ki̍p.
Did you know?
- In Chinese, the word for 'pyramid' 金字塔 literally translates to 'gold character tower', creating a visual link between the architecture of 埃及 and Chinese calligraphy.
- The characters in 埃及 are chosen for their sound, not their meaning. 埃 means 'dust' and 及 means 'reach', but combined they simply mimic the sound of 'Egypt'.
- The name 埃及 is a phonetic loan that emerged around 1852, a time when Western influence was rapidly increasing in East Asia.
Examples in context
- 薩米於 2006 年去了埃及。Sami went to Egypt in 2006.This sentence shows how to use 埃及 when describing someone traveling to the country in a specific year.Tatoeba #13565159 by LeviHighway, translation #7988145 by OsoHombre
- 世界各地都有金字塔，不只是埃及。There are pyramids all over the world, not only in Egypt.This sentence uses 埃及 to clarify that pyramids exist in more than just that one country.Tatoeba #13524069 by LeviHighway, translation #11690650 by carlosalberto
- 我来自埃及。I am from Egypt.This sentence uses 埃及 to state one's place of origin.Tatoeba #10189718 by iiujik, translation #436343 by lukaszpp
- 我非常喜欢学习埃及的历史。I really enjoy studying the history of Egypt.
- 作为一名外交官，我曾多次访问埃及共和国。As a diplomat, I have visited the Arab Republic of Egypt on multiple occasions.
- 5 more sentences on Tatoeba
Sources
- Wiktionary, “egypt” translations and entries 埃及, 埃及, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 埃及, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
