also: とうど
noun
Archaic Japanese name for China, used in pre-modern contexts. Not used in contemporary Japanese to refer to modern China.
遣唐使は唐土へ渡った。
The Japanese envoys traveled to Tang China.
noun, used as a prefix
Only with reading もろこし
Prefix use, mainly in historical or traditional compound words referring to things from China. Restricted to the reading もろこし.
もろこし船は、かつて中国から渡来した船を指した。
Morokoshi-bune referred to ships that came from China in the past.
Abbreviated kanji form; also read もろこし in historical contexts.
Standard modern word for China. 唐土 is an archaic term used only in historical contexts.
From Middle Chinese 唐土 (Tang soil/land), referring to China during the Tang dynasty. The reading もろこし is a Japanese adaptation of the Chinese pronunciation.