Meaning & use
Palau
Last updated
Meanings
proper nounproper
A small island country in the western Pacific Ocean, east of the Philippines.
Grammar: Names of countries take no article: 'She flew to Palau,' not 'to the Palau.'
Patterns
- travel to Palau
- live in Palau
- the islands of Palau
Palau is made up of hundreds of small islands.
Divers travel to Palau to see its famous coral reefs.
The capital of Palau is Ngerulmud.
proper nounproper
The group of islands that form this country.
Grammar: Used as a plural idea when talking about the islands themselves: 'The Palaus are scattered over a wide area.'
Patterns
- the Palau islands
The Palau islands lie in warm, clear water.
Storms rarely reach the Palau group.
Common combinations
- the Republic of Palau
- The Republic of Palau became independent in 1994.
- Palauan culture
- Palauan culture places great value on the sea.
- the waters around Palau
- The waters around Palau are protected by law.
- travel to Palau
- They traveled to Palau for their honeymoon.
Word family
- Palauan adjective
- relating to Palau or its people: 'Palauan music'.
- Palauan noun
- a person from Palau, or the language spoken there.
Commonly confused: Palau or Palu?
Palau vs Palu
Palu is a city in Indonesia; Palau is a country. The two names look similar but refer to different places.
Practice
Which sentence uses the name of the country correctly?
Choose one answer.
Country names normally take no article, so 'in Palau' is correct. 'In the Palau' wrongly adds an article, and 'Palaus' is not the usual name of the country.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Palau”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.