"Our home is in Taiwan."
Translation:我们的家在台湾。
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Tai is typhoon , Wan is gulf or bay. So Taiwan means the gulf of typhoons.
台 more likely refers to a platform or a flat, as in the west coast's flat natural harbours that the Chinese settlers landed on. Even this was an appropriation from the Dutch name Tayouan for the Taivuan tribe indigenous to the area of Fort Zeelandia which was in modern day Tainan.
In traditional chinese, typhoon is written 颱風, and Taiwan 臺灣, so probably not the same etymology
They do, but the Mandarin name didn't come from the meaning, it is only a phonetic transliteration of the original name of the island. Wiktionary has a pretty detailed page on it, have a look.. ;)
it would be nice if it told you what the character you missed meant because I am not learning anything if I don't know why I am doing it.
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I suppose that, by they not telling you, you are more curious, and when you finally find the reason it will stick better in your mind.
No, it's duolingo's teaching method. It is a method that is proven to work. If you don't like it no ones forcing you to stay.
You should download the app Pleco, it will tell you what characters mean
I second this, I tried a few dictionary apps on mobile, Pleco with CC's dictionary is the best I found! On a pc the site mdbg net is also very good and very convenient!
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so there's no verb in the chinese version of the sentence, right? or is it a combo word...'is in'?
是 means to be (is, am, are) and 在 means "is (located) at / (to be) in". it has the verb to be already included.
so by saying 是在 you would say "is is at" which is obviously nonsensical. If you only put 是 then it would mean that your home literally is the whole of Taiwan. as in "your house is the island of Taiwan". which might get the meaning sort of across but might also get some laughs.
Nope, 住在 means "to live in", you just need 在 (to be in) for this A house doesn't "live" anywhere, but "Our house IS IN Taiwan" makes sense!
