There are 4 types of country names in Chinese:
- Names that have a meaning in Chinese (中國，日本，冰島)
- Phonetic transcripts with no meaning in Chinese (斯洛伐克，捷克）
- Names that are a combination of 1. and 2. （ 安地卡及巴布達， 白俄羅斯）
- Abbreviations
- Abbreviations of longer 2. type country names（印尼， 阿根廷）
- Abbreviations of longer 3. type country names（美國，德國，法國，澳洲 etc.)
1. Names that have a meaning in Chinese
2. Phonetic transcripts with no meaning in Chinese
中国 China (Zhōngguó)
中 means 'center' and 国 means 'country'. The most common way of translating this name is Middle kingdom, it is however not entirely correct. The term 中国 originally referred to kingdoms (plural) on the central Chinese plain in Ancient China that were collectively related to each other through the same Ancient Chinese culture and related languages. Equally, they were labeled Central kingdoms as opposed to the barbarian states and nations around them. Only later the name shifted from Central kingdoms to Middle kingdom.
冰 means 'ice' and 岛 means 'island'. Ice island = Iceland
日本 Japan (Rìběn)
日 means 'sun' and 本 means 'root, origin'. The origin of the sun.
黑山 Montenegro (Hēishān)
黑 means 'black' and 山 means 'mountain'. Montenegro in English means Black mountain.
獅子山 (Shīzi shān)
獅子 means 'lion' and 山 means 'mountain'. Sierra Leone in English means Lion mountain.
Characters for these names of these countries are chosen so that they are phonetically close to the pronunciation of the country name in English or occasionally other languages. They are however not related to the name of the country through meaning. Additionally, Chinese has only about 300 - 400 syllables and the pronunciation does not always match perfectly. Respectful or neutral characters are chosen.
荷兰 Holland (Hélán)
荷 lotus
兰 orchid
尼加拉瓜 Nicaragua (Níjiālāguā)
尼 buddhist nun
加 to add
拉 to pull
瓜 melon fruit
不丹 Bhutan (Bùdān)
不 bù no, not
丹 dān red
3. Names that are a mix of 1. and 2.
卢森堡 Luxembourg (Lúsēnbǎo)
卢 lú 'rice bowl
森 sēn 'forest'
Lúsēn = Luxen-
堡 castle, fortress = bourg
马绍尔群岛 Marshall Islands (Mǎshào'ěr qúndǎo)
马 mǎ 'horse'
绍 shào 'to continue'
尔 ěr 'you'
Mǎshào'ěr = Marshall
群岛 archipelago
新西兰 New Zealand (Xīn Xīlán)
新 xīn 'new'
西 xī 'west'
兰 lán 'orchid'
Xīlán = Zealand
4. Abbreviations
4.1 Abbreviations of longer 2. type country names
The full name of Indonesia in Chinese is 印度尼西亚 (Yìndùníxīyà) which is just a phonetic transliteration of the name Indonesia with the characters having no meaning relation to the name (Although one could argue that 印度 stands for India, which is the real origin of the Indo- part of the name Indonesia).
印 to engrave
度 degree
尼 buddhist nun
西 west
亚 second
印度尼西亚 is however too long and since it is a very frequently mentioned country, it was shortened. Two characters from the name 印度尼西亞 specifically 印 and 尼 were chosen and the country Indonesia is called 印尼 in Taiwan.
4.2 Abbreviations of longer 3. type country names
美国 United States of America (Měiguó)
The original full name of the United States of America in Chinese was 亚美理驾合众国 (Yàměilǐjià hézhòngguó) a combination of a phonetic transcription of 'America' and the word 'Federated nation' in Chinese:
亚 second
美 beautiful
理 inner essence
驾 to harness
Yàměilǐjià = America
合众国 Federated nation
As with Indonesia, since USA is a very frequently mentioned country, the name was shortened to
美国
With the character 美 'pretty' chosen respectfully from the name 亚美理驾 and the character 国 'country' added as the second character. The name 美国 thus effectively means 'pretty country' as well.
德国 Germany (Déguó)
Country name originated similarly to the Chinese name of USA. The original name for Germany was 德意志联邦共和国 (Déyìzhì liánbāng gònghéguó) a combination of a phonetic transcription of 'Deutsch' and the word 'Federative republic' in Chinese:
德 virtue
意 idea
志 ambition
Déyìzhì = Deutsch
联邦共和国 = Federative republic
As with Indonesia and USA since Germany is a very frequently mentioned country, the name was shortened to
德国
With the character 德 'virtue' chosen respectfully from the name 德意志 and the character 国 'country' added as the second character. The name 德国 thus effectively means 'virtuous country' as well.
法国 France (Fǎguó)
Country name originated similarly to the Chinese names for USA and Germany. The original name for France was 法兰西国家 (Fǎlánxī guójiā) a combination of the phonetic transcription of 'Francia' and the word 'country' in Chinese:
法 rule, law
兰 orchid
西 west
Fǎlánxī = Francia
国家 country
As with USA and Germany, since France is a very frequently mentioned country, the name was shortened to
法国
With the character 法 'rule, law' chosen respectfully from the name 法兰西 and the character 国 'country' added as the second character. The name 法国 thus effectively means 'country of law' as well.
美国 United States of America (Měiguó)
The original full name of the United States of America in Chinese was 亚美理驾合众国 (Yàměilǐjià hézhòngguó) a combination of a phonetic transcription of 'America' and the word 'Federated nation' in Chinese:
亚 second
美 beautiful
理 inner essence
驾 to harness
Yàměilǐjià = America
合众国 Federated nation
As with Indonesia, since USA is a very frequently mentioned country, the name was shortened to
美国
With the character 美 'pretty' chosen respectfully from the name 亚美理驾 and the character 国 'country' added as the second character. The name 美国 thus effectively means 'pretty country' as well.
德国 Germany (Déguó)
Country name originated similarly to the Chinese name of USA. The original name for Germany was 德意志联邦共和国 (Déyìzhì liánbāng gònghéguó) a combination of a phonetic transcription of 'Deutsch' and the word 'Federative republic' in Chinese:
德 virtue
意 idea
志 ambition
Déyìzhì = Deutsch
联邦共和国 = Federative republic
As with Indonesia and USA since Germany is a very frequently mentioned country, the name was shortened to
德国
With the character 德 'virtue' chosen respectfully from the name 德意志 and the character 国 'country' added as the second character. The name 德国 thus effectively means 'virtuous country' as well.
法国 France (Fǎguó)
Country name originated similarly to the Chinese names for USA and Germany. The original name for France was 法兰西国家 (Fǎlánxī guójiā) a combination of the phonetic transcription of 'Francia' and the word 'country' in Chinese:
法 rule, law
兰 orchid
西 west
Fǎlánxī = Francia
国家 country
As with USA and Germany, since France is a very frequently mentioned country, the name was shortened to
法国
With the character 法 'rule, law' chosen respectfully from the name 法兰西 and the character 国 'country' added as the second character. The name 法国 thus effectively means 'country of law' as well.
List of all UN countries and their Chinese names*
| Country name | Simplified Chinese | Pinyin | Name type |
| Afghanistan | 阿富汗 | Āfùhàn |
2
|
| Albania | 阿尔巴尼亚 | ā'ěrbāníyǎ |
2
|
| Algeria | 阿尔及利亚 | ā'ěrjílìyǎ |
2
|
| Andorra | 安道尔 | āndào ěr |
2
|
| Angola | 安哥拉 | āngēlā |
2
|
| Antigua and Barbuda | 安提瓜和巴布达 | ān tí guā hé bā bù dá |
3
|
| Argentina | 阿根廷 | āgēntíng |
4.2
|
| Armenia | 亚美尼亚 | yàměiníyǎ |
2
|
| Australia | 澳大利亚 | àodàlìyǎ |
2
|
| Austria | 奥地利 | àodìlì | Probably 2 |
| Azerbaijan | 阿塞拜疆 | āsèbàijiāng |
2
|
| Bahamas | 巴哈马 | bāhāmǎ |
2
|
| Bahrain | 巴林 | bālín |
2
|
| Bangladesh | 孟加拉国 | mèngjiālā guó | 3 Hokkien |
| Barbados | 巴巴多斯 | bābāduōsī |
2
|
| Belarus | 白俄罗斯 | bái'èluósī |
3
|
| Belgium | 比利时 | bǐlìshí | 2 French |
| Belize | 伯利兹 | bó lìzī |
2
|
| Benin | 贝宁 | bèi níng |
2
|
| Bhutan | 不丹 | bù dān |
2
|
| Bolivia | 玻利维亚 | bōlìwéiyǎ |
2
|
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | 波斯尼亚和黑塞哥维那 | bōsīníyǎ hé hēisāigēwéinà |
3
|
| Botswana | 博茨瓦纳 | bócíwǎnà |
2
|
| Brazil | 巴西 | bāxī |
2
|
| Brunei | 文莱 | wén lái | 2 Hokkien |
| Bulgaria | 保加利亚 | bǎojiālìyǎ |
2
|
| Burkina Faso | 布基纳法索 | bù jī nà fǎ suǒ |
2
|
| Burundi | 布隆迪 | bùlóngdí |
2
|
| Cabo Verde | 佛得角 | fú dé jiǎo |
3
|
| Cambodia | 柬埔寨 | jiǎnpǔzhài | 2 Hokkien |
| Cameroon | 喀麦隆 | kāmàilóng |
2
|
| Canada | 加拿大 | jiānádà |
2
|
| Central African Republic | 中非 | zhōng fēi |
4.3
|
| Chad | 乍得 | zhàdé |
2
|
| Chile | 智利 | zhìlì |
2
|
| China | 中国 | zhōngguó |
1
|
| Colombia | 哥伦比亚 | gēlúnbǐyǎ |
2
|
| Comoros | 科摩罗 | kē mó luó |
2
|
| Congo | 刚果 | gāngguǒ |
2
|
| Costa Rica | 哥斯达黎加 | gēsīdálíjiā |
2
|
| Côte d'Ivoire | 科特迪瓦 | kētèdíwǎ | 2 French |
| Croatia | 克罗地亚 | kèluódìyà |
4.2
|
| Cuba | 古巴 | gǔbā |
2
|
| Cyprus | 塞浦路斯 | sāipǔlùsī |
2
|
| Czech Republic | 捷克 | jiékè |
4.2
|
| Democratic People's Republic of Korea | 朝鲜 | cháoxiǎn | ? |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | 刚果民主共和国 | gāngguǒ mínzhǔ gònghéguó |
3
|
| Denmark | 丹麦 | dānmài |
2
|
| Djibouti | 吉布提 | jíbùtí |
2
|
| Dominica | 多米尼加 | duōmǐníjiā |
2
|
| Dominican Republic | 多明尼加共和国 | duō míng ní jiā gònghéguó |
3
|
| Ecuador | 厄瓜多尔 | èguāduō'ěr |
2
|
| Egypt | 埃及 | āijí |
2
|
| El Salvador | 萨尔瓦多 | sà'ěrwǎduō |
4.2
|
| Equatorial Guinea | 赤道几内亚 | chìdào jǐnèiyǎ |
3
|
| Eritrea | 厄立特里亚 | èlìtèlǐyǎ |
2
|
| Estonia | 爱沙尼亚 | àishāníyǎ |
2
|
| Ethiopia | 埃塞俄比亚 | āisāi'ébǐyǎ |
2
|
| Fiji | 斐济 | fěijì |
2
|
| Finland | 芬兰 | fēnlán |
2
|
| France | 法国 | fǎguó |
4.3
|
| Gabon | 加蓬 | jiāpéng |
2
|
| Gambia | 冈比亚 | gāngbǐyǎ |
2
|
| Georgia | 格鲁吉亚 | gélǔjíyà |
2
|
| Germany | 德国 | déguó |
4.3
|
| Ghana | 加纳 | jiānà |
2
|
| Greece | 希腊 | xīlà | 2 Greek |
| Grenada | 格林纳达 | gélínnàdá |
2
|
| Guatemala | 危地马拉 | wēidìmǎlā |
2
|
| Guinea | 几内亚 | jǐnèiyǎ |
2
|
| Guinea-Bissau | 几内亚比绍 | jǐnèiyǎ bǐ shào |
2
|
| Guyana | 圭亚那 | guīyǎnà |
2
|
| Haiti | 海地 | hǎidì |
2
|
| Honduras | 洪都拉斯 | hóngdūlāsī |
2
|
| Hungary | 匈牙利 | xiōngyálì |
2
|
| Iceland | 冰岛 | bīngdǎo |
1
|
| India | 印度 | yìndù |
2
|
| Indonesia | 印度尼西亚 | yìndùníxīyà |
2
|
| Iran | 伊朗 | yīlǎng |
2
|
| Iraq | 伊拉克 | yīlākè |
2
|
| Ireland | 爱尔兰 | ài'ěrlán |
2
|
| Israel | 以色列 | yǐsèliè |
2
|
| Italy | 意大利 | yìdàlì |
2
|
| Jamaica | 牙买加 | yámǎijiā |
2
|
| Japan | 日本 | rìběn |
1
|
| Jordan | 约旦 | yuēdàn |
2
|
| Kazakhstan | 哈萨克斯坦 | hāsàkè sītǎn |
2
|
| Kenya | 肯尼亚 | kěnníyǎ |
2
|
| Kiribati | 基里巴斯 | jīlǐbāsī |
2
|
| Kuwait | 科威特 | kēwēitè |
2
|
| Kyrgyzstan | 吉尔吉斯斯坦 | jí'ěrjísī sītǎn |
2
|
| Laos | 老挝 | lǎowō |
2
|
| Latvia | 拉脱维亚 | lātuōwéiyǎ |
2
|
| Lebanon | 黎巴嫩 | líbānèn |
2
|
| Lesotho | 莱索托 | láisuǒtuō |
2
|
| Liberia | 利比里亚 | lìbǐlǐyǎ |
2
|
| Libya | 利比亚 | lìbǐyǎ |
2
|
| Liechtenstein | 列支敦士登 | lièzhīdūnshìdēng |
2
|
| Lithuania | 立陶宛 | lìtáowǎn |
4.2
|
| Luxembourg | 卢森堡 | lúsēnbǎo |
3
|
| Madagascar | 马达加斯加 | mǎdájiāsījiā |
2
|
| Malawi | 马拉维 | mǎ lā wéi |
2
|
| Malaysia | 马来西亚 | mǎláixīyà |
2
|
| Maldives | 马尔代夫 | mǎ'ěrdàifū |
2
|
| Macedonia | 马其顿 | mǎqídùn |
4.2
|
| Mali | 马里 | mǎlǐ |
2
|
| Malta | 马耳他 | mǎ'ěrtā |
2
|
| Marshall Islands | 马绍尔群岛 | mǎshào'ěr qúndǎo |
3
|
| Mauritania | 毛里塔尼亚 | máolǐtǎníyǎ |
2
|
| Mauritius | 毛里求斯 | máolǐqiúsī |
2
|
| Mexico | 墨西哥 | mòxīgē |
2
|
| Micronesia | 密克罗尼西亚 | mì kè luó ní xī yà |
2
|
| Moldova | 摩尔多瓦 | mó'ěrduōwǎ |
2
|
| Monaco | 摩纳哥 | mónàgē |
2
|
| Mongolia | 蒙古 | ménggǔ | ？ |
| Montenegro | 黑山 | hēishān |
1
|
| Morocco | 摩洛哥 | móluògē |
2
|
| Mozambique | 莫桑比克 | mòsāngbǐkè |
2
|
| Myanmar | 缅甸 | miǎndiàn |
1
|
| Namibia | 纳米比亚 | nàmǐbǐyǎ |
2
|
| Nauru | 瑙鲁 | nǎo lǔ |
2
|
| Nepal | 尼泊尔 | níbó'ěr |
2
|
| Netherlands | 荷兰 | hélán |
2
|
| New Zealand | 新西兰 | xīnxīlán |
3
|
| Nicaragua | 尼加拉瓜 | níjiālāguā |
2
|
| Niger | 尼日尔 | nírì'ěr |
2
|
| Nigeria | 尼日利亚 | nírìlìyǎ |
2
|
| Norway | 挪威 | nuówēi |
2
|
| Oman | 阿曼 | āmàn |
2
|
| Pakistan | 巴基斯坦 | bājīsītǎn |
2
|
| Palau | 帕劳 | pà láo |
2
|
| Panama | 巴拿马 | bānámǎ |
2
|
| Papua New Guinea | 巴布亚新几内亚 | bābùyǎ xīn jǐnèiyǎ |
3
|
| Paraguay | 巴拉圭 | bālāguī |
2
|
| Peru | 秘鲁 | bìlǔ |
2
|
| Philippines | 菲律宾 | fēilǜbīn |
2
|
| Poland | 波兰 | bōlán |
2
|
| Portugal | 葡萄牙 | pútáoyá | ？ |
| Qatar | 卡塔尔 | kǎtǎ'ěr |
2
|
| Romania | 罗马尼亚 | luómǎníyǎ |
2
|
| Russian Federation | 俄罗斯 | èluósī | 2 Mongolian |
| Rwanda | 卢旺达 | lúwàngdá |
2
|
| Saint Kitts and Nevis | 圣基茨和尼维斯 | shèng jī cí hé ní wéi sī |
3
|
| Saint Lucia | 圣卢西亚 | shèng lú xīyǎ |
3
|
| Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | 圣文森特和格林纳丁斯 | shèngwénsēntè hé gélín nà dīng sī |
3
|
| Samoa | 萨摩亚 | sàmó yǎ |
2
|
| San Marino | 圣马力诺 | shèngmǎlìnuò |
3
|
| Sao Tome and Principe | 圣多美和普林西比 | shèng duō měihé pǔ lín xī bǐ |
3
|
| Saudi Arabia | 沙特阿拉伯 | shātè ālābó |
2
|
| Senegal | 塞内加尔 | sài nèi jiā'ěr |
2
|
| Serbia | 塞尔维亚 | sài'ěrwéiyǎ |
2
|
| Seychelles | 塞舌尔 | sāi shé ěr |
2
|
| Sierra Leone | 塞拉利昂 | sèlālì'áng |
2
|
| Singapore | 新加坡 | xīnjiāpō | 2 Hokkien |
| Slovakia | 斯洛伐克 | sīluòfákè |
4.2
|
| Slovenia | 斯洛文尼亚 | sīluòwénníyǎ |
2
|
| Solomon Islands | 所罗门群岛 | suǒluómén qúndǎo |
3
|
| Somalia | 索马里 | suǒmǎlǐ |
4.2
|
| South Africa | 南非 | nánfēi |
4.3
|
| South Korea | 韩国 | hánguó |
1
|
| South Sudan | 南苏丹 | nán sūdān |
3
|
| Spain | 西班牙 | xībānyá |
2
|
| Sri Lanka | 斯里兰卡 | sīlǐlánkǎ |
2
|
| Sudan | 苏丹 | sūdān |
2
|
| Suriname | 苏里南 | sūlǐnán |
2
|
| Swaziland | 斯威士兰 | sī wēi shì lán |
2
|
| Sweden | 瑞典 | ruìdiǎn | 2 Hokkien |
| Switzerland | 瑞士 | ruìshì | 2 Hokkien/French |
| Syria | 叙利亚 | xùlìyǎ |
2
|
| Tajikistan | 塔吉克斯坦 | tǎjíkè sītǎn |
2
|
| Tanzania | 坦桑尼亚 | tǎnsāngníyǎ |
2
|
| Thailand | 泰国 | tàiguó |
4.3
|
| Timor-Leste | 东帝汶 | dōngdìwèn | ? |
| Togo | 多哥 | duō gē |
2
|
| Tonga | 汤加 | tāngjiā |
2
|
| Trinidad and Tobago | 特立尼达和多巴哥 | tè lì ní dá hé duō bā gē |
3
|
| Tunisia | 突尼斯 | túnísī |
2
|
| Turkey | 土耳其 | tǔ'ěrqí |
2
|
| Turkmenistan | 土库曼斯坦 | tǔkùmàn sītǎn |
2
|
| Tuvalu | 图瓦卢 | tú wǎ lú |
2
|
| Uganda | 乌干达 | wūgāndá |
2
|
| Ukraine | 乌克兰 | wūkèlán |
4.2
|
| United Arab Emirates | 阿拉伯联合酋长国 | ālābó liánhé qiúzhǎngguó |
3
|
| United Kingdom | 英国 | yīngguó |
4.3
|
| United States of America | 美国 | měiguó |
4.3
|
| Uruguay | 乌拉圭 | wūlāguī |
2
|
| Uzbekistan | 乌兹别克斯坦 | wūzībiékè sītǎn |
2
|
| Vanuatu | 瓦努阿图 | wǎnǔ'ātú |
2
|
| Venezuela | 委内瑞拉 | wěinèiruìlā |
4.2
|
| Viet Nam | 越南 | yuènán |
1
|
| Yemen | 也门 | yěmén |
2
|
| Zambia | 赞比亚 | zànbǐyǎ |
2
|
| Zimbabwe | 津巴布韦 | Jīnbābùwéi |
2
|
*As used in Mainland China
Vladimir,
ReplyDeleteA fine and useful list. Thank you!
Very helpful! Thanks a lot.
ReplyDelete:)