樺太

Chinese

		Betula japonica	too (much); very; extremely too (much); very; extremely; highest; greatest
trad. (樺太)		樺	太
simp. (桦太)		桦	太

Etymology

Orthographic borrowing from Japanese 樺太 (Karafuto), ultimately from Ainu.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): Huàtài

(Zhuyin): ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄊㄞˋ
Cantonese (Jyutping): waa⁴ taai³ / waa⁶ taai³
Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): Hoa-thài

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: Huàtài
  - Zhuyin: ㄏㄨㄚˋ ㄊㄞˋ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: Huàtài
  - Wade–Giles: Hua⁴-tʻai⁴
  - Yale: Hwà-tài
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: Huahtay
  - Palladius: Хуатай (Xuataj)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /xu̯ä⁵¹⁻⁵³ tʰaɪ̯⁵¹/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: waa⁴ taai³ / waa⁶ taai³
  - Yale: wàh taai / wah taai
  - Cantonese Pinyin: waa⁴ taai³ / waa⁶ taai³
  - Guangdong Romanization: wa⁴ tai³ / wa⁶ tai³
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /waː²¹ tʰaːi̯³³/, /waː²² tʰaːi̯³³/
Southern Min
- (Hokkien: Xiamen)
  - Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hoa-thài
  - Tâi-lô: Hua-thài
  - Phofsit Daibuun: hoa'taix
  - Sinological IPA (Xiamen): /hua⁴⁴⁻²² tʰai²¹/

Proper noun

樺太

(～島) Alternative name for 庫頁／库页 (Kùyè, “Sakhalin”).

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
樺	太
から Jinmeiyō (ateji)	ふと Grade: 2 (ateji)
irregular	kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
唐太

From Ainu カラㇷ゚ト (Karapto).

The kanji spelling was decided upon during the creation of the first administrative district in Hokkaido during the Meiji period.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “what is original meaning of Ainu term?”)

Alternative forms

樺太(かばふと) (Kabafuto)

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) からふと [kàráfútó] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [ka̠ɾa̠ɸɯ̟to̞]
Audio: (file)

Proper noun

樺(から)太(ふと) • (Karafuto)

Karafuto, Sakhalin (an island today in Russia and formerly claimed by Japan)

Synonyms

サハリン (Saharin, “Sakhalin”)
薩哈嗹(サガレン) (Sagaren, “Saghalien”)

Derived terms

樺太(からふと)犬(いぬ) (Karafuto inu)
樺太(からふと)玉(だま) (Karafuto-dama)
樺太(からふと)千(ち)島(しま)交換(こうかん)条約(じょうやく) (Karafuto-Chishima Kōkan Jōyaku)
樺太(カラフト)松(マツ) (Karafuto matsu)
北(きた)樺太(からふと) (Kita-Karafuto)
南(みなみ)樺太(からふと) (Minami-Karafuto)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
樺	太
かば Jinmeiyō (ateji)	ふと Grade: 2 (ateji)
kun'yomi

From the kun (mis)reading of the first kanji 樺 (literally “birch”).

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) かばふと [káꜜbàfùtò] (Atamadaka – [1])
IPA^(key): [ka̠ba̠ɸɯ̟to̞]

Proper noun

樺(かば)太(ふと) • (Kabafuto)

alternative form of 樺太 (Karafuto, “Karafuto, Sakhalin (an island today in Russia and formerly claimed by Japan)”)
- 1925 April 10, 伯剌西爾時報 (Burajiru Jihō) [News of Brazil]‎^[1], number 391, page 7:
  
  日(に)本(ほん)は日(にち)露(ろ)協(けふ)約(やく)に基(もとづ)き四(よつ)日(か)に北(きた)樺(かば)太(ふと)撤(てつ)兵(ぺい)を終(しう)了(れう)し同(どう)地(ち)統(とう)治(ち)をソウイエト政(せい)府(ふ)に引(ひき)渡(わた)した
  Nihon wa Nichi-Ro Kyōyaku ni motozuki yokka ni Kita-Kabafuto teppei o shūryō shi dōchi tōchi o Sowieto seifu ni hikiwatashita
  Following the Japanese–Russian Agreement, Japan concluded its withdrawal from North Sakhalin on the 4th and transferred control to the Soviet government.

Derived terms

北(きた)樺太(かばふと) (Kita-Kabafuto)
南(みなみ)樺太(かばふと) (Minami-Kabafuto)

References

“〈^▲樺太〉”, in 漢字ぺディア [Kanjipedia]‎^[2] (in Japanese), The Japan Kanji Aptitude Testing Foundation, 2015–2026