<ol>
<li><p><a href="http://www.term.org.cn/EN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&amp;id=8805" rel="nofollow noreferrer">This article</a> (p. 60-61) provided the reason 氡 (radon) is based on the latter syllable. In summary, this was the result of an argument between Chinese chemists appointed to element naming in the early 20th century. Those that argued radon should not be given a pronunciation similar to 鐳 (radium) so as to avoid confusion won. The lost faction argued <a href="https://i.sstatic.net/sccpV.png?s=32" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><img src="https://i.sstatic.net/sccpV.png?s=32" alt="enter image description here" /></a> reflects the origin of radon from the alpha decay of radium better.</p>
</li>
<li><p><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8C%96%E5%AD%A6%E5%85%83%E7%B4%A0%E7%9A%84%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87%E5%91%BD%E5%90%8D%E6%B3%95" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wikipedia</a> argues 砷 (ar<em>sen</em>ic) and 鋁 (a<em>lu</em>minium) came from the second syllable of the English equivalent. 碘 (io<em>dine</em>) came from the third.</p>
</li>
<li><p>Another example I can think of is the Taiwanese translation of Al-Qaeda, 蓋達組織 (not a character per se). That is so because 'al-' is an Arabic definite article ('the') and Chinese does not have a grammatical equivalent, therefore omitted. However, the translation 阿爾蓋達組織 is still perfectly valid.</p>
</li>
</ol>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-22T12:20:52.933Z
Very interesting! I wish such decisions had been made for English as well. :)
Olle Linge
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T02:09:30.593Z
2021-03-22T13:20:19.110Z
2021-03-22T13:20:19.110Z
L Parker
<p>The most famous example, I believe, is 美利堅。America used to be transliterated to 亞美利堅。Pretty soon, it is shortened to 美利堅。亞 was dropped. It is further shortened to just 美, 美洲、美國。</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-23T01:12:06.047Z
2021-03-23T08:59:00.637Z
2021-03-23T08:59:00.637Z
joehua
<p>I was thinking about 氡, radon recently. The pronunciation: dōng (dong1) seems to suggest that sound was borrowed from the ending of the English word. <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%B0%A1#Etymology" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Wiktionary</a> corroborates this theory:</p>
<blockquote>
<h3>Etymology</h3>
<p>Borrowed from English <em>ra<strong>don</strong></em>.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>This is quite interesting because most loanwords seem to come from the beginning of words, if anything, and especially not the middle or the end of a word. You might expect some form of: <code>rui</code>, for instance, for radon.</p>
<p>What other loan words exist where the sound was borrowed from the middle/end of the original word?</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T00:52:03.443Z
For modern word, it is quite often borrow the sound from the original, but  I don't think it is always the case. For instance, "钾" -  potassium, any connection?
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T01:39:48.723Z
Well, I've always wondered about 加拿大, definitely missing a K sound!!
Pedroski
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T02:11:28.267Z
鉀 originates from the neo-Latin for potassium, *kalium*. The resemblance of 鉀 to *kalium* in Cantonese is stronger. The same goes for 加拿大.
L Parker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T17:35:37.227Z
@L Parker Unfortunately, the Cantonese, while is one of the very important speaking language in China, has never been in the mainstream of the Chinese language, nor been the official language. Please let me know, if I am wrong.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T17:54:21.537Z
@Pedroski While I am not a translator, but have noticed that the translation often includes other considerations than direct link to sound. Also, there are regional differences, which can be seen in translations of the same word/phrase among the mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore...etc. However, in the case of  加拿大, I would think it is because the word "加" is one of the word with most close sound to ka. It is interesting to note that the sound of "家", "卡", "坎" are also close,  or even closer, but were not chosen. Just my 2 cents :)
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T20:46:04.697Z
@r13 Hong Kong has always been gateway for cultural exchange between the east and the west, thats why most foreign words were first translated into Cantonese and then adopted into mandarin from the cantonese
小奥利奥
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T21:26:40.327Z
@ 小奥利奥 You need a few good examples with official documentation to convince me though. The official translation is usually handled by persons that are fluent in the official languages of both countries, know the subject, and familiar with cultural backgrounds. Please note that the Cantonese is a regional dialect that is rich in sound, thus, I wouldn't eliminate the possibilities of coincidences.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-21T23:34:40.623Z
@r13 the first Chinese people settling in Canada were Canton and Macao railroad workers; first calling Canada in the Cantonese dialect is not improbable at all. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_immigration_to_Canada
L Parker
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-22T01:06:00.260Z
@L Parker It does not surprise me that you are probably correct for name of locations in the N America. But keep in mind, many earlier migrants were belong to the other subgroups resided in the Canton Province that spoke their own local dialect, but Cantonese. I don't think many people realize that though.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-22T01:30:10.533Z
Chinese regional groups in the early waves of migration to the SE Asia, and N America included - 潮州,台山,泉州,福州, all originated in southern ocean front villages, and spoke local dialect that differ with Cantonese.
r13
CC BY-SA 4.0
2021-03-22T21:50:05.620Z
Virtually all attested southern Chinese varieties [non-Mandarin, starting from the south of Zhejiang 浙江] start with /k/ (corresponding to the sound of Pinyin/Jyutping/Foochow Romanized g-) for both 加 and 鉀 (甲).
Michaelyus
<loanwords>
Loan words borrowed from the middle/end of original word?
# Loan words borrowed from the middle/end of original word?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2021-03-20)

I was thinking about 氡, radon recently. The pronunciation: dōng (dong1) seems to suggest that sound was borrowed from the ending of the English word. [Wiktionary](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/%E6%B0%A1#Etymology) corroborates this theory:

> ### Etymology
>
> Borrowed from English *ra**don***.

This is quite interesting because most loanwords seem to come from the beginning of words, if anything, and especially not the middle or the end of a word. You might expect some form of: `rui`, for instance, for radon.

What other loan words exist where the sound was borrowed from the middle/end of the original word?

**Tags:** loanwords

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: For modern word, it is quite often borrow the sound from the original, but  I don't think it is always the case. For instance, "钾" -  potassium, any connection?  
> **username_2**: Well, I've always wondered about 加拿大, definitely missing a K sound!!  
> **username_3**: 鉀 originates from the neo-Latin for potassium, *kalium*. The resemblance of 鉀 to *kalium* in Cantonese is stronger. The same goes for 加拿大.  
> **username_1**: @username_3 Unfortunately, the Cantonese, while is one of the very important speaking language in China, has never been in the mainstream of the Chinese language, nor been the official language. Please let me know, if I am wrong.  
> **username_1**: @username_2 While I am not a translator, but have noticed that the translation often includes other considerations than direct link to sound. Also, there are regional differences, which can be seen in translations of the same word/phrase among the mainland China, Taiwan, Singapore...etc. However, in the case of  加拿大, I would think it is because the word "加" is one of the word with most close sound to ka. It is interesting to note that the sound of "家", "卡", "坎" are also close,  or even closer, but were not chosen. Just my 2 cents :)  
> **username_4**: @username_1 Hong Kong has always been gateway for cultural exchange between the east and the west, thats why most foreign words were first translated into Cantonese and then adopted into mandarin from the cantonese  
> **username_1**: @ username_4 You need a few good examples with official documentation to convince me though. The official translation is usually handled by persons that are fluent in the official languages of both countries, know the subject, and familiar with cultural backgrounds. Please note that the Cantonese is a regional dialect that is rich in sound, thus, I wouldn't eliminate the possibilities of coincidences.  
> **username_3**: @username_1 the first Chinese people settling in Canada were Canton and Macao railroad workers; first calling Canada in the Cantonese dialect is not improbable at all. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Chinese_immigration_to_Canada  
> **username_1**: @username_3 It does not surprise me that you are probably correct for name of locations in the N America. But keep in mind, many earlier migrants were belong to the other subgroups resided in the Canton Province that spoke their own local dialect, but Cantonese. I don't think many people realize that though.  
> **username_1**: Chinese regional groups in the early waves of migration to the SE Asia, and N America included - 潮州,台山,泉州,福州, all originated in southern ocean front villages, and spoke local dialect that differ with Cantonese.  
> **username_5**: Virtually all attested southern Chinese varieties [non-Mandarin, starting from the south of Zhejiang 浙江] start with /k/ (corresponding to the sound of Pinyin/Jyutping/Foochow Romanized g-) for both 加 and 鉀 (甲).  

---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_3 on 2021-03-21. Score: 7

1. [This article](http://www.term.org.cn/EN/article/downloadArticleFile.do?attachType=PDF&id=8805) (p. 60-61) provided the reason 氡 (radon) is based on the latter syllable. In summary, this was the result of an argument between Chinese chemists appointed to element naming in the early 20th century. Those that argued radon should not be given a pronunciation similar to 鐳 (radium) so as to avoid confusion won. The lost faction argued [![enter image description here](https://i.sstatic.net/sccpV.png?s=32)](https://i.sstatic.net/sccpV.png?s=32) reflects the origin of radon from the alpha decay of radium better.
2. [Wikipedia](https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%8C%96%E5%AD%A6%E5%85%83%E7%B4%A0%E7%9A%84%E4%B8%AD%E6%96%87%E5%91%BD%E5%90%8D%E6%B3%95) argues 砷 (ar*sen*ic) and 鋁 (a*lu*minium) came from the second syllable of the English equivalent. 碘 (io*dine*) came from the third.
3. Another example I can think of is the Taiwanese translation of Al-Qaeda, 蓋達組織 (not a character per se). That is so because 'al-' is an Arabic definite article ('the') and Chinese does not have a grammatical equivalent, therefore omitted. However, the translation 阿爾蓋達組織 is still perfectly valid.

> **Comments:**
> **username_6**: Very interesting! I wish such decisions had been made for English as well. :)  

---

### Answer by username_7 on 2021-03-23. Score: 3

The most famous example, I believe, is 美利堅。America used to be transliterated to 亞美利堅。Pretty soon, it is shortened to 美利堅。亞 was dropped. It is further shortened to just 美, 美洲、美國。


---

