Word.ws English Dictionary

matsu

/ˈmæt.su/

matsu noun: pinus thunbergii, the Japanese pine.

Noun

matsu (plural matsu)

  1. Pinus thunbergii, the Japanese pine.

Proper noun (1) capitalized: Matsu

Matsu (usually uncountable, plural Matsus)

  1. (error-lua-exec, usually) .
    • Matsu Islands
    • Like the Kinmens, the Matsu Islands are part of Fukien Province. A political affairs commission is the administrative organ, supported by the Lienkiang Hsien Government. They form the northern anchor of the offshore defense line and seal the mouth of the Min River.1959, Sampson C. Shen, editor, China Yearbook 1958-1959, Taipei, Taiwan: China Publishing Co., page 99
    Synonyms:
    Lienchiang
  2. (usually) An island of Lienchiang County, Taiwan, also known as Nangan.
    • The steamer Lee Yuen, when about 30 miles from Foochow, abreast of Fuhyan, on her passage from this port to Foochow, carried away the lignum vitæ bush in the stern tube. She was beached for one tide under the lee of Matsu Island, for temporary repairs, and then proceeded to Foochow, where she has...1875 January 21, “Summary of News”, in North-China Herald and Supreme Court & Consular Gazette, volume XIV, number 402, Shanghai, →OCLC, page 47, column 2; republished as “SHANGHAI”, in London and...
    • 19. On the evening of 11 June, Nationalist warships YUNG CH'UN (永春) and CHENG AN (正安) and the Nationalist gunboat HAI LI (海利) engaged in battle with 2 Chinese Communist converted 200-ton gunboats, and a 1,400-ton armored motor junk in the Huangch'iwan (黄岐湾) area, approximately 10 miles northwest of...1951 June 22, “Chinese Communist Military Activities, East China”, in CIA, page 3
    Synonyms:
    Nangan, Nankan
  3. (usually) A strait between Beigan and Nangan in Lienchiang County, Taiwan (ROC).
    • The one landing strip in the Matsus, and good for light aircraft only, was on the second largest island, Peikan. Between Nankan and Peikan lay the Matsu Straits, a twisted riptide-torn channel, boasting freak winds and bouldered shores.1962, DeWitt S. Copp, “The Mudcats”, in The Odd Day, William Morrow and Company, →LCCN, →OCLC, page 60

Proper noun (2) capitalized: Matsu

Matsu

  1. (alternative) Alternative form of Mazu (goddess).
    • Groups of schoolboys neatly dressed in white shorts and yellow cravats, a truck load of maidens in pink and green, another long silk banner and another carriage...it seems as if there are dozens of Matsus, each one accompanied by her retinue of standard bearers, musicians and heralds.1982 April 18, “Old festivals endure amid modern progress”, in Free China Weekly, volume XXII, number 15, Taipei, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 2
    • Mr Lee descended on Penghu, one of the Pescadores, with a population of 90,000, in the afternoon, immediately after military jets had buzzed the airstrip to ensure his safety. Penghu lies in the middle of the Taiwan Strait.
      Addressing a large rally, he compared himself to the native goddess Matsu...1996 March 15, Jonathan Mirsky, “Taiwan President visits islanders to bolster morale”, in The Times, number 65,528, →ISSN, →OCLC, Overseas News, page 15, column 1

Synonyms of matsu

Forms of matsu

Noun
pluralmatsu
Proper noun
pluralMatsus
alternative alsoMa-tsu
alternative alsoMatzu
alternative formMatsoo
alternative Hanyu-PinyinMazu

Origin of matsu

Borrowed from Japanese 松 (“pine”).

From the Wade–Giles romanization of Mandarin pronunciation for 馬祖 (Ma³-tsu³).

From the Wade–Giles romanization of Mandarin 媽祖／妈祖 (Māzǔ).

Phrases with matsu

Questions about matsu

What does matsu mean?
Matsu means pinus thunbergii, the Japanese pine.
What part of speech is matsu?
Matsu can be a noun or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce matsu?
Matsu is pronounced /ˈmæt.su/.
What is the plural of matsu?
The plural of matsu is matsu.

Words near matsu in the dictionary

  1. matsoni
  2. Matsons
  3. Matsoo
  4. matsoon
  5. matsoun
  6. matsu
  7. Matsuba
  8. Matsubara
  9. Matsubaras
  10. Matsuda
  11. Matsudaira

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: matsu (page history and authors); Matsu (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated:

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: LL-Q1860 (eng)-Vealhurl-Matsu.wav.

Cite this entry: “matsu.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/matsu. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.