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Hunan

American  
[hoo-nahn] / ˈhuˈnɑn /

noun

  1. Pinyin, Wade-Giles. a province in S China. 81,274 sq. mi. (210,500 sq. km). Changsha.

  2. Chinese Cooking. Also Hunam a style of cooking from this province, characterized especially by the use of hot peppers.


Hunan British  
/ ˈhuːˈnæn /

noun

  1. a province of S China, between the Yangtze River and the Nan Ling Mountains: drained chiefly by the Xiang and Yüan Rivers; valuable mineral resources. Capital: Changsha. Pop: 66 630 000 (2003 est). Area: 210 500 sq km (82 095 sq miles)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

The study was led by an international team that included Professor Minxue Shen from the Xiangya School of Public Health at Central South University in Hunan, China.

From Science Daily • Mar. 30, 2026

The site where the fossils were found in the southern Chinese province of Hunan was "extraordinary," Han Zeng of the Chinese Academy of Sciences told AFP.

From Barron's • Jan. 28, 2026

Born in a poor village in Hunan province in China in 1982, She Zhijiang left school at 14 and learned computer coding.

From BBC • Nov. 12, 2025

It provides a steady supply of gas to China’s southern provinces including Yunnan, Guizhou, Hunan, Guangdong and Fujian.

From The Wall Street Journal • Oct. 26, 2025

For some time he filled a minor post, but was eventually disgraced and exiled to the province of Hunan.

From A Lute of Jade : selections from the classical poets of China by Cranmer-Byng, L. (Launcelot)