歐洲 / 欧洲
Ōuzhōu
Europe in Chinese is 歐洲 / 欧洲 (Ōuzhōu). If unsure, use 歐洲 / 欧洲. Wiktionary also lists 歐羅巴 / 欧罗巴 (Ōuluóbā).
Meaning: continent (name)
Ways to say it
| Chinese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 歐洲 / 欧洲 | Ōuzhōu | |
| 歐羅巴 / 欧罗巴 | Ōuluóbā | dated |
The term refers to the continent of Europe.
What does it mean word for word?
The first character, 歐 / 欧, is a phonetic component used to represent the sound of the first syllable of 'Europe'.
Which one should you use?
歐羅巴 / 欧罗巴 is a direct phonetic transliteration of 'Europe' that is considered dated and is rarely used in modern speech.
Is it said differently in some regions?
The form 歐洲 is used in Traditional Chinese (common in Taiwan and Hong Kong), while 欧洲 is used in Simplified Chinese (common in Mainland China).
How do you pronounce it?
Ōuzhōu
Did you know?
- The term 歐羅巴 (Ōuluóbā) was popularized by the Jesuit priest Matteo Ricci in his 1602 map, 'Kunyu Wanguo Quantu', to introduce the concept of the continent to China.
- The character 洲 (zhōu) is used in Chinese to name almost every major continent, such as 亞洲 (Asia) and 非洲 (Africa), essentially turning the word for 'continent' into a suffix.
- The character 歐 / 欧 is used in Chinese to represent a wide variety of foreign names and terms starting with an 'O' or 'Eu' sound, including 'Olympic' and 'Omega'.
Examples in context
- 欧洲是一个拥有悠久历史和多样文化的大陆。Europe is a continent with a rich history and diverse culture.
- 去年我曾在欧洲大陆旅行。I traveled in Europe last year.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “europe” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 歐洲, 歐羅巴, CC BY-SA 4.0.
