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Meaning Index

Chinese characters meaning "harbor"

Learn Chinese characters with the meaning "harbor", including 港 (gǎng), 澳 (ào). Study pinyin, English meanings, traditional forms, common words, and examples.

How to Study This Meaning Group

The English word "harbor" covers 2 different Chinese characters — 港 (gǎng), 澳 (ào) — and each is its own word with its own feel. These 2 characters do not share a sound — their readings span gǎng, ào — so confirm the pinyin and tone for each one separately. The example sentences further down show how 港 and the others are actually used, so you learn them in context rather than as a single translation.

  • 港 gǎngharbor; Hong Kong (abbr.)Useful words: 港口, 港湾
  • 澳 àoAustralia; deep bay; cove; bay; harbor; (abbrev) MacaoUseful words: 澳元, 澳宝

Common words for these 2 "harbor" characters

Anchor each of these 2 characters in a word you can picture — start with 港 (gǎng) — so "harbor" turns into concrete usage instead of a one-to-one translation.

See each character in a sentence

Each character below is shown in a short example sentence with pinyin and an English translation — the quickest way to feel the difference between the 2 ways to say "harbor".

gǎng — harbor; Hong Kong (abbr.)

香港是一座繁华的城市。Xiāng gǎng shì yí zuò fán huá de chéng shì.Hong Kong is a prosperous city.

Common words: 港口 (gǎng kǒu)、港湾 (gǎng wān)、出港 (chū gǎng)

ào — Australia; deep bay; cove; bay; harbor; (abbrev) Macao

澳大利亚是南半球的一个大国。Ào dà lì yà shì nán bàn qiú de yí ge dà guó.Australia is a large country in the Southern Hemisphere.

Common words: 澳元 (ào yuán)、澳宝 (ào bǎo)、澳币 (ào bì)

All 2 characters

Open 港、澳 or any character below to hear it read aloud and see it used in an example sentence.