Fujianese
|fu-ji-a-nese|
/ˌfuːdʒiəˈniːz/
of or from Fujian
Etymology
'Fujianese' originates from Chinese, specifically the place name 'Fújiàn' (福建), combined with the English suffix '-ese' used to form demonyms and adjectives meaning 'of or relating to'.
'Fujian' entered earlier English forms as 'Fukien' (from older romanizations, via Portuguese and other European transcriptions of Chinese), producing older English forms like 'Fukienese'; with the adoption of pinyin the modern form 'Fujian' led to 'Fujianese'.
Initially the element referred simply to the place name 'Fujian'; over time the formed word came to mean 'a person from Fujian', 'the languages/dialects of Fujian', or adjectivally 'relating to Fujian'.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
a person from Fujian province in southeastern China; a member of the population originating from Fujian.
She is Fujianese and moved to the city when she was a child.
Synonyms
Noun 2
one of the Sinitic languages or dialects spoken in Fujian province (often used to refer to regional Min varieties, e.g., Hokkien/Minnan or Fuzhou dialect, depending on context).
Many elderly people in the town still speak Fujianese at home.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2025/09/01 07:41