亞 (yà) - Asia & second

亞Tone 4

yà ｜ 8 strokes ｜ radical: 二

信嫣

亞 · yà

Asia;

second;

inferior;

next in order;

used as a prefix for secondary or subordinate things;

also appears in names.

Asiasecondinferior

Usage highlights

Asiasecond placeSoutheast AsiasubrunnerAsian Games

Synonyms

  • 次— second; next
  • 二— two; second

Antonyms

  • 冠— champion; first
  • 首— first; chief

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • He traveled across Asia (亞洲).
  • She won second place in the competition (亞軍).
  • This is a second-class product (亞級品).
  • The ASEAN summit was held (東亞峰會).

Collocations

  • Asia(亞洲)
  • second place(亞軍)
  • Southeast Asia(東南亞)
  • sub-health(亞健康)
  • runner-up(亞軍)
  • Asian Games(亞運會)

Idioms

  • Not second to anyone(不亞於人)
  • The champion and the runner-up(冠亞軍)
  • Superior and inferior(優亞之分)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • In ancient Chinese ranking systems, '亞' denoted the second position, just below the top.
  • Used extensively in geographical names, particularly for Asia and its subregions.
  • In modern usage, often appears as a prefix indicating secondary status or sub-quality.

FAQ