Hong Kong’s twin panda cubs, born in August 2024, were finally named today, after a public competition which saw over 38,000 entries.
The winning names, Jia Jia (加加) for “Elder Sister”, and De De (得得) for “Little Brother”, were submitted by Lee Yuk Fan, and chosen by the judges who “opined that the names were rich in meaning”.
To quote the press release:
“Elder sister” is named “Jia Jia”, with the Chinese character for “Jia” (加) conveying the message of support. Having the same pronunciation as the Chinese characters for “home” (家) and “auspices” (嘉) in both Cantonese and Putonghua, “Jia” also features an element of family and a sense of auspicious grace, embodying the prosperity of families and the nation as well as the happiness of its people.
“Little brother” is named “De De”. As the Chinese character “De” (得) means “to succeed”, the name has the connotation that Hong Kong is successful in everything. “De” also shares the same pronunciation as the Chinese character for “virtue” in both Cantonese and Putonghua, suggesting that giant pandas, our national treasures, possess the virtues cherished by Chinese people.”
Images: Ocean Park