Meanings
Sanya1
- A female given name from Russian.
Sanya2
- A female given name from Arabic.
Sanya3
alternative San-ya · alternative San-Ya · alternative San Ya · alternative Samah · alternative Sama · alternative Saamaa · alternative Saam-aa · alternative Saam-Aa · alternative Saam Aa · alternative Sam-a · alternative Sam-A · alternative Sam A · alternative Taa · alternative Ta-a · alternative Ta-A · alternative Ta A
- A resort city, a prefecture-level city on Hainan island, Hainan province, China.
In mid-November, the commander of the Hainan Military Sub-district ordered troops stationed at Sanya Bay to join the demonstration.
1983 March 20, “Hainan protest over Teng's economic plans”, in Free China Weekly, volume XXIV, number 11, Taipei, →ISSN, →OCLC, page 32 more examples
About forty bombers and fighters were based at the Hoihow Airport and at Sanya in the southern part of the island, both fields built by the Japanese and used in the war to strike at Allied positions in China and Southeast Asia.[...]CAT kept planes at its main base at Sanya on a standby basis for emergency evacuation in case of Communist invasion.
1972, Seymour Topping, “Departure”, in Journey Between Two Chinas, Harper & Row, →ISBN, →OCLC, pages 102–103One sample question: How will Chinese ballistic-missile submarines (SSBNs) based at Sanya, on Hainan Island, reach patrol grounds in the western Pacific should Beijing choose to send them out? To maintain stealth, SSBNs would first have to evade any adversary picket submarines lying offshore. Once in deep water, they would cruise eastward toward the Philippines. In all likelihood Chinese boats would exit through the Luzon Strait, the narrow sea between Taiwan and the Philippine island of Luzon.
2014, James R. Holmes, “Strategic Features of the South China Sea”, in Naval War College Review, volume 67, number 2, page 45
Origin
Sanya · proper noun
- Serbo-CroatianСања
- EnglishSanya
Transliteration of Russian Са́ня (Sánja), diminutive of Алекса́ндра (Aleksándra) and Алекса́ндр (Aleksándr). In some cases possibly from Serbo-Croatian Сања and Sanja.
More words from Serbo-Croatian
Full word history & related roots →Sanya · proper noun
- Arabicسنيّة“radiant”
- EnglishSanya
Variant of Saniyah, Saniyya, from Arabic سنيّة (“radiant”)
More words from Arabic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic سَانْيَا
- سَانْيَا (sanyā)a city in China
Chinese Cantonese 三亞 /三亚
- 三亞 /三亚 (saam¹ aa³)a city in China
Chinese Mandarin 三亞 /三亚
- 三亞 /三亚 (Sānyà)a city in China
Japanese 三亜
- 三亜 (San'a)a city in China
Korean 싼야
- 싼야 (Ssanya)a city in China
Russian Санья́
- Санья́ (Sanʹjá)a city in China
Vietnamese Tam Á
- Tam Áa city in China
Rhymes & wordplay
Anagrams
Cite this entry
Sanya. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sanya
“Sanya.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sanya. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Sanya,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Sanya.
Source: Sanya on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.