州 (zhōu) - State & prefecture

州Tone 1

zhōu ｜ 6 strokes ｜ radical: 川

志

州 · zhōu

State;

prefecture;

administrative division;

island;

islet;

used in names of places and regions.

Stateprefectureadministrative division

Usage highlights

StateGuangzhou citySuzhou cityHangzhou cityFuzhou cityCalifornia

Synonyms

  • 省— province
  • 郡— prefecture
  • 岛— island

Usage & contexts

Examples

  • California is a state in the US (加州).
  • Guangzhou is a major city in China (广州).
  • Suzhou is famous for its gardens (苏州).
  • This is a small island in the river (河中州).

Collocations

  • State(州)
  • Guangzhou city(广州)
  • Suzhou city(苏州)
  • Hangzhou city(杭州)
  • Fuzhou city(福州)
  • California(加州)

Idioms

  • The Nine Provinces(九州)
  • Crossing the river by feeling the stones(摸着石头过州)
  • All within the four seas are one family(四海九州一家)

Cultural background

FAQ
  • Originally depicted river islets; later used for administrative divisions since ancient times.
  • In modern China, '州' appears in many major city names like Guangzhou, Suzhou, Hangzhou.
  • Also used to translate foreign administrative units like states in the United States.

FAQ