English word origin

Etymology of TDK

From Japanese TDK, an initialism of 東京電気化学 (Tokyo Denki Kagaku, “Tokyo Electric Chemical”) of 東京電気化学工業株式会社 (Tokyo Denki Kagaku Kabushiki gaisha, “Tokyo Electric Chemical Industry Limited”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

name

A Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mentionTDKja

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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    {
      "name": "bor",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "TDK",
        "tr": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Japanese TDK"
    },
    {
      "name": "initialism",
      "args": {
        "1": "ja",
        "2": "東京電気化学",
        "tr": "Tokyo Denki Kagaku",
        "t": "Tokyo Electric Chemical",
        "nocap": "1",
        "nocat": "1"
      },
      "expansion": "initialism of 東京電気化学 (Tokyo Denki Kagaku, “Tokyo Electric Chemical”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "TDK",
      "TDK#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "東京",
      "東京#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "電気",
      "電気#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "化学",
      "化学#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "東京",
      "東京#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "電気",
      "電気#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "化学",
      "化学#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "工業",
      "工業#Japanese"
    ],
    [
      "株式会社",
      "株式会社#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
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      "glosses": [
        "A Japanese multinational electronics manufacturing company headquartered in Tokyo, Japan."
      ],
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}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

a mainlander from mainland China; mainland Chinese (to differentiate from a Chinese Filipino raised in the Philippines or other Overseas Chinese).

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Initialism of Philippine Hokkien 大陸仔 /大陆仔 (tāi-lio̍k-á, “mainlander”), which is often perceived as "Tai Diok Ka" or "Tai Diok A", due to /l~d/ allophony usually preceding an /i/ vowel and the concept of forming initialisms from the consonant-sounding phonemes that syllables seemingly sound like they start with due to syllable assimilation in Hokkien. See also Taiwanese Mandarin 26.

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Borrowed-form mention大陸仔nan-hbl · mainlander

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "nan-hbl",
        "3": "大陸仔",
        "tr": "tāi-lio̍k-á",
        "t": "mainlander"
      },
      "expansion": "Hokkien 大陸仔 /大陆仔 (tāi-lio̍k-á, “mainlander”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "cmn-TW",
        "2": "26"
      },
      "expansion": "Taiwanese Mandarin 26"
    }
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    ]
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Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for TDK →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-VERL