Talk:花

Mandarin hypercorrection of initial /h/ to /f/

According to w:Hypercorrection, a common Taiwanese pronounciation of initial /f/ as /h/ causes 花 to be hypercorrected to fua1, especially in the Hakka population. Can this be confirmed? Rod (A. Smith) 19:35, 5 July 2007 (UTC)

Alternate Japanese pronunciation

Can it also be pronounced "wa," as in 浪花節? 24.29.228.33 02:48, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I can certainly understand that argument. However, I am hesitant on adding a "wa" reading. Please recognize that 浪花 (as well as 難波 and 浪速) is ateji. Historically it was spelled なには, and the "ha" was expressed with 花 (hana). While this word has a special reading, I think it is difficult to argue that 花 itself also has a special reading of わ (or even は). Bendono 22:42, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

Alternate Mandarin definition?

Can it also mean "splendid," "fancy," or "flowery," as in 花旗國? What is the translation of 花 as in this term? 24.29.238.60 02:56, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

花旗 (huāqí) means "Citigroup" or "Citibank", and also "the Stars and Stripes". Therefore, Citigroup country, or the land of the Stars and Stripes. —Stephen 03:22, 1 January 2009 (UTC)

Thanks, but that wasn't the question. The term 花旗國 has been used to refer to the United States for much longer than Citigroup has existed. The question relates to the reason 花 was selected as an adjective in this name for the United States, and what 花 means in this context, as a modifier for the word 旗 (flag). 24.29.238.60 02:18, 3 January 2009 (UTC)