How to pronounce Cijin Island

Today’s the summer solstice—and in summer in Kaohsiung, one of the very best places to go is Cijin Island (旗津島), for its tropical beachy vibe.

Formerly a peninsula, it was severed from the mainland in the 1960s to make a second entry point to Kaohsiung Harbor. Nowadays, it’s connected to the rest of the city by an undersea tunnel and a couple of ferry routes.

Reaching Cijin Island by scooter ferry takes only 5–10 minutes.

If you’re wondering about a visit, the answer is always yes. But deciding how to pronounce Cijin isn’t so easy…

There are two complicating factors when it comes to pronouncing Cijin:

1. Chinese is a tonal language
2. Taiwan has different ways of romanizing Chinese words

Let’s ignore the tones for a moment—ignoring tones is something I’m unintentionally good at—and focus on the spelling.

Although Taiwan has officially used the Hanyu Pinyin romanization system since 2009, the names of people and places often use historical forms.

The place name Cijin uses the Tongyong Pinyin system, which was formally used from 2002 to 2008. In Hanyu Pinyin it’s written as Qíjīn, and in the Wade–Giles system it’s Chichin:

I feel Hanyu Pinyin (Qíjīn) most accurately represents the way the name is spoken.

First syllable: Qí (旗)

Say it like chee, as in cheese. Then, when you’re ready to add the tone (which is important, because different tones change the meaning), think of it as starting low then rising.

Second syllable: Jīn (津)

Say it like jean, as in jeans. This one has a high and steady tone, like the way John Lennon sings the first syllable of ‘people’, in Imagine:

Imagine all the people
Living for today

or

Imagine all the jean-ple
Living for today

Putting together the first and second syllables, you get:

And that’s it! You can now pronounce Cijin like a pro. Or at least, in a way that won’t baffle locals.

See also: How to pronounce Kaohsiung