马萨诸塞
Masazhusai
The English phrase "Massachusetts" is translated into Chinese as 马萨诸塞 (Masazhusai).
马萨诸塞 is the name used for the U.S. state of Massachusetts. When you want to specify that you are referring to the state specifically, it is standard to add the character 州 (zhōu) to the end, forming 马萨诸塞州.
Meaning: a state of the United States of America (name)
Which one should you use?
马萨诸塞 is the name itself, while 马萨诸塞州 is used to explicitly denote "Massachusetts State".
How do you pronounce it?
The romanization is Masazhusai.
Did you know?
- In mainland China, the state is officially 马萨诸塞, but in Taiwan, it is more commonly written as 麻州 or 麻萨诸塞.
- If you were to translate the characters of 马萨诸塞 individually, you would get a nonsensical string of sounds and meanings including 'horse', 'satisfied', and 'various'. This highlights that the name is an acoustic shell rather than a semantic unit.
- The character 州 'zhōu' used in 马萨诸塞州 originally referred to a specific type of administrative division in ancient China, long before the concept of a US state existed.
Examples in context
- 马萨诸塞州很大。Mǎsàzhūsè zhōu hěn dà.Massachusetts is a large state.
- 他住在马萨诸塞。Tā zhù zài Mǎsàzhūsè.He lives in Massachusetts.
- 我们要去马萨诸塞旅游。Wǒmen yào qù Mǎsàzhūsè lǚyóu.We are going to travel to Massachusetts.
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing travel plans over coffee.
- 志强 Zhiqiang你想去哪儿旅游？Nǐ xiǎng qù nǎ'er lǚyóu?Where do you want to travel?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen我想去马萨诸塞看看。Wǒ xiǎng qù Mǎsàzhūsè kànkan.I want to go see Massachusetts.
- 志强 Zhiqiang那里的天气怎么样？Nàlǐ de tiānqì zěnmeyàng?How is the weather there?
- 晓雯 Xiaowen四季都很明显。Sìjì dōu hěn míngxiǎn.The four seasons are very distinct.
