Yuan
From Freepedia
Yuan (Traditional: 元 or 圓; Simplified: 元; pinyin: yuán; Wade-Giles: yüan) is, in Chinese, the base unit of a currency, for example, US dollar is Mei yuan (美元). However, in international context, Yuan as an English word refers to the Renminbi (RMB¥, CN$). The English pronunciation is /ju:'æn/, although in Chinese the word is one syllable.
As with the Chinese numerals, this character has two forms — a less formal form (元) and a more formal form (圓 or 圆) used to prevent alterations and accounting mistakes. The Japanese yen was originally also written 圓, but is now represented by the simplified character 円.
One yuan is divided into 10 jiao (角) or colloquially mao (毛). One jiao is divided into 10 fen (分). In Cantonese, jiao and fen are called ho (毫) and sin (仙).
Yuan in Chinese literally means a "round object" or "round coin".
Shop prices in mainland China and Taiwan are usually marked with 元 after the digits. In mainland China, a Y with one crossbar (before the digits) is also common while the character is much less commonly used in Hong Kong and Macau in favor of the dollar symbol. In Macau, "MOP" is also usually used for its currency, the pataca.
Other meanings
- Yuan Dynasty (元朝), also called the Mongol Dynasty, of China
- Yuan, one of several Chinese family names; 袁, 元, 苑, 原, 源, 爰 in Mandarin; 阮, 垣, 玄 in Cantonese.
- Thai Yuan, a people of Northern Thailand
- Yuàn (院), a branch of government stipulated by the Constitution of the Republic of China (now on Taiwan): Legislative Yuan, Executive Yuan, Judicial Yuan, Examination Yuan, Control Yuan
- Yuan River (沅江 or 沅水), one of the four largest rivers in Hunan, a tributary of Yangtze River.
- Northern Thai language, also known as Yuan.
