Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

xi'an

/ˈʃiˈæn/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: Zipf frequency 4.12 in modern English

Syllables
Xi-an
IPA
/ˈʃiˈæn/
11
Scrabble Score
4
Letters
2
Syllables
4
Unique Chars

Meaning

name

A district of Liaoyuan, Jilin, China.

Example Sentences

Etymology

c. mid/late 20th c., the atonal Hanyu Pinyin romanization of the Mandarin pronunciation of Chinese 西安 (Xī'ān), usually glossed as meaning "Western Peace" but inclusive of the idea of "Western Pacification" or "Pacified Area", first adopted under the Ming Dynasty in 1369 as the city was conquered from the Yuan and protected with a new wall. An apostrophe is usually required in pinyin to mark any non-initial syllable beginning with a, o, or e in a multi-syllable word. (See 隔音符號 /隔音符号 (géyīn fúhào) for more.) In this case, the apostrophe happens to distinguish the two separate syllables of xī and ān from the monosyllabic words xiān, xián, xiǎn, and xiàn.

Origin

Word Breakdown

Inflected Forms

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce xi'an?
The recorded pronunciation is /ˈʃiˈæn/.
What does xi'an mean?
The provincial capital of Shaanxi, China; a subprovincial city in central China famed as the former capital of numerous Chinese dynasties, also known as Chang'an among other historical names.
Where does xi'an come from?
It is traced to Chinese.

How to pronounce xi'an

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “xi'an”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈʃiˈæn/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “xi'an”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “xi'an” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.