Editing Mount Kinabalu (section)

== Meaning of name ==
[[File:Kina Balu from Pinokok Valley.png|thumb|left|"Kina Balu from Pinokok Valley" – lithograph published in 1862]]
[[File:Mt. Kinabalu rock face, trick of the shadow, Dec 2011.jpg|thumb|right|A visual illusion of a rock face on Mt. Kinabalu. Caught on camera from a location in [[Mesilau]], December 2011.]]
[[File:G.kinabalu.jpg|thumb|right|Mount Kinabalu viewed from the summit of nearby [[Mount Tambuyukon]]]]
There are several explanations for the mountain's name.

The most plausible origin of the word "Kinabalu" is the [[Dusun language|Dusun]] phrase 'Aki Nabalu,' which means, "the revered place of the dead." <ref>{{Cite web |title=Majestic Mount Kinabalu {{!}} Sabah, East Malaysia |url=https://www.mountkinabalu.com/mount-kinabalu/introduction#:~:text=Mount%20Kinabalu%20derives%20its%20name,revered%20place%20of%20the%20dead'. |access-date=2025-03-07 |website=www.mountkinabalu.com |language=en}}</ref>   An alternative explanation is that "Kinabalu" is a combination of two Dusun words, "ki" (have/has) and "nabalu" (mountain) which form "ki-nabalu" or "having mountain". It is a common practice among the [[Dusun people]] to name places based on their distinctive features or characteristics. One example is the place called "kiwaig", meaning "having water.{{citation needed|date=January 2021}}

A popular story told to Western and Chinese tourists states that the name "Kinabalu" actually means "Cina Balu" (meaning "A Chinese Widow" in Malay).<ref name="legend">{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33020356 |title=The call of Malaysia's 'conquerable' Mount Kinabalu |work=BBC News |date=5 June 2015 |access-date=19 June 2017 |archive-date=28 July 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210728081318/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-33020356 |url-status=live }}</ref>  However, this folk story is debated. Due to linguistic influence among the Kadazan-Dusun of [[Sabah]], some claim the pronunciation of "Cina" (chee-na) was changed to "Kina" (kee-na).<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/01/18/majesty-mystery-and-magic-of-mountains/ |title=Majesty, mystery and magic of mountains |author=Alan Rogers |newspaper=[[The Borneo Post]] |date=18 January 2015 |access-date=19 June 2017 |archive-date=21 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921144415/http://www.theborneopost.com/2015/01/18/majesty-mystery-and-magic-of-mountains/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An earlier book by [[Spenser St. John]] published in 1863 says that "Kina Balu" means "Chinese widow."<ref>{{cite book |author=Sir Spenser St. John |title=Life in the Forests of the Far East |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=WIsoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA327 |year=1863 |publisher=Smith, Elder and Company |page=327 |access-date=20 June 2019 |archive-date=2 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202114406/https://books.google.com/books?id=WIsoAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA327 |url-status=live }}</ref> However, this explanation is unlikely, as the [[Dusun people|Dusun]] people, who lived in the area for approximately 6,000 years, were not familiar with the Malay term of "Cina" at the time.

{{wide image|Mount kinabalu panorama.jpg|1400px|A [[Panorama|panoramic]] view from the summit of Mount Kinabalu|align-cap=center|Panoramic view from the summit.}}