白熊

Chinese

		white; empty; blank white; empty; blank; bright; clear; plain; pure; gratuitous	bear; to scold; to rebuke
trad. (白熊)		白	熊
simp. #(白熊)		白	熊
Literally: “white bear”.

Etymology

Compare Japanese 白熊 (shirokuma), Korean 흰곰 (huin'gom), Vietnamese gấu trắng, all of which literally means “white bear”.

Pronunciation

• Mandarin

  (Pinyin): báixióng

  (Zhuyin): ㄅㄞˊ ㄒㄩㄥˊ

• Cantonese (Jyutping): baak⁶ hung⁴
• Southern Min (Hokkien, POJ): pe̍h-hîm / pe̍eh-hîm

---

• Mandarin
  • (Standard Chinese)⁺
    • Hanyu Pinyin: báixióng
    • Zhuyin: ㄅㄞˊ ㄒㄩㄥˊ
    • Tongyong Pinyin: báisyóng
    • Wade–Giles: pai²-hsiung²
    • Yale: bái-syúng
    • Gwoyeu Romatzyh: bairshyong
    • Palladius: байсюн (bajsjun)
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /paɪ̯³⁵ ɕi̯ʊŋ³⁵/
• Cantonese
  • (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
    • Jyutping: baak⁶ hung⁴
    • Yale: baahk hùhng
    • Cantonese Pinyin: baak⁹ hung⁴
    • Guangdong Romanization: bag⁶ hung⁴
    • Sinological IPA ^(key): /paːk̚² hʊŋ²¹/
• Southern Min
  • (Hokkien: General Taiwanese, Quanzhou, Xiamen)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍h-hîm
    • Tâi-lô: pe̍h-hîm
    • Phofsit Daibuun: peqhiim
    • IPA (Quanzhou): /pe(ʔ)²⁴⁻² him²⁴/
    • IPA (Kaohsiung): /pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ him²³/
    • IPA (Xiamen): /pe(ʔ)⁴⁻²¹ him²⁴/
    • IPA (Taipei): /pe(ʔ)⁴⁻¹¹ him²⁴/
  • (Hokkien: Zhangzhou)
    • Pe̍h-ōe-jī: pe̍eh-hîm
    • Tâi-lô: pe̍eh-hîm
    • IPA (Zhangzhou): /pɛ(ʔ)¹²¹⁻²¹ him¹³/

Noun

白熊

1. polar bear

Synonyms

• 北極熊／北极熊 (běijíxióng)

Japanese

Kanji in this term
白	熊
しろ Grade: 1	くま Grade: 4
kun'yomi

Etymology

From 白 (shiro, “white”) +‎ 熊 (kuma, “bear”). Compare Chinese 白熊 (báixióng), Korean 흰곰 (huin'gom), Vietnamese gấu trắng, all of which literally mean “white bear”.

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) しろくま [shìrókúmá] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [ɕiɾo̞kɯ̟ma̠]

Noun

白(しろ)熊(くま) or 白熊(シロクマ) • (shirokuma) 

1. Synonym of 北極熊 (Hokkyokuguma, “polar bear”)
   • 1990 June 15, Rumiko Takahashi, “PART(パート).５(ご)　秘(ひ)伝(でん)書(しょ)を奪(うば)え [Part 5: Snatching the Scroll of Secrets]”, in らんま½ [Ranma ½], volume 11 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 72:

     日(にっ)本(ぽん)の山(さん)中(ちゅう)に…シロクマがいるか—————っ‼

     Nippon no sanchū ni… shirokuma ga iru ka—————'‼

     Why is there… a polar bear on a Japanese mountain!?