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# How to pronounce Cijin Island
- URL: https://www.taiwanquest.com/cijin-island-pronunciation/
- Published: 2026-06-21T09:29:55.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-21T13:41:07.000Z
- Description: It’s not “sea-gin”…
- Author: Zhen-Kang

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](https://www.taiwanquest.com/catching-the-scooter-ferry-to-cijin-island/) 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**:

| Spelling            | First syllable | Second syllable |
| ------------------- | -------------- | --------------- |
| **Chinese**         | 旗              | 津               |
| **Tongyong Pinyin** | Cí             | Jin             |
| **Hanyu Pinyin**    | Qí             | Jīn             |
| **Wade–Giles**      | Chi            | Chin            |

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:

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/5e/e3/5ee3f160-68a0-49ef-af6f-ec70abc1d13e/content/images/2026/06/cijin-pronunciation.webp)

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*](https://www.taiwanquest.com/kaohsiung-pronunciation/)

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