From Takow to Kaohsiung

Wu (屋; “House”)

Wu (屋; Hakka vuk) originally referred to a homestead or main family home on a piece of land newly cleared for farming. These often later developed into hamlets, villages and even towns and districts (such as Xinwu District {新屋區 "New House”} in Taoyuan, which has a population of almost 50,000), so that today 屋 is a common second character in place names, often preceded by a family or clan name.

Examples include Luwu (呂屋; “Lu’s House”) in Taoyuan, Shenwu (沈屋; “Shen’s House”) in Hsinchu and Zhengwu (鄧屋; “Zheng’s House”) in Miaoli County.

(See additional notes, including on the role of different Chinese regionalects in Taiwan place names, at Cuo (厝)

Copyright Jiyue Publications, 2022