Liu

Liu
PronunciationLiú ([ljǒʊ]) (Pinyin)
Lau4
Lâu (Pe̍h-ōe-jī)
Language(s)Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean
Origin
Language(s)Old Chinese
Other names
Variant form(s)Liú (Mandarin)
Lau (Cantonese, Hokkien)
Lieu (Shanghainese)
Lưu (Vietnamese)
Yoo, Ryu (Korean)
Ryu (Japanese)
Liew (Malaysia)
See alsoLưu
Yoo (Korean surname)

/ (/lj/ or /lj/[1]) is an East Asian surname. pinyin: Liú in Mandarin Chinese, Lau4 in Cantonese. It is the family name of the Han dynasty emperors. The character originally meant 'battle axe', but is now used only as a surname. It is listed 252nd in the classic text Hundred Family Surnames. Today, it is the 4th most common surname in mainland China as well as one of the most common surnames in the world.[2][3]

  1. ^ "Liu Shaoqi". Collins English Dictionary. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  2. ^ 张、王、李、赵谁最多—2010年人口普查姓氏结构和分布特点. China Statistics Bureau. 23 June 2014.
  3. ^ 最新版百家姓排行榜出炉:王姓成中国第一大姓 [Latest surname ranking: Wang is the number one surname in China]. Xinhua News Agency (in Chinese). 2013-04-15. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved 2013-11-21.