Names of China

Common nameTraditional Chinese中華Simplified Chinese中华Hanyu PinyinZhōnghuáTibetan nameTibetanཀྲུང་གོZhuang nameZhuangCungguekSawndip中国Mongolian nameMongolian CyrillicДундад улсMongolian scriptᠳᠤᠮᠳᠠᠳᠤ ᠤᠯᠤᠰUyghur nameUyghurجۇڭگو‎Manchu nameManchu scriptᡩᡠᠯᡳᠮᠪᠠᡳ ᡤᡠᡵᡠᠨRomanizationDulimbai gurunKazakh nameKazakhجۇڭگو (قىتاي)
Jūñgö (Qıtay)
Жұңгө (Қытай)Kyrgyz nameKyrgyzجۇڭگو (قىتاي)
Жуңго (Кытай)
Cuñğo (Qytaj)

China has many contemporary and historical designations given in various languages for the East Asian country known as 中国; 中國; Zhōngguó ('Central State' or 'Middle Kingdom') in Standard Chinese, a form based on the Beijing dialect of Mandarin.

The English name "China" was borrowed from Portuguese during the 16th century, and its direct cognates became common in the subsequent centuries in the West. It is believed to be a borrowing from Middle Persian, and some have traced it further back to the Sanskrit word चीन (cīna) for the nation. It is also thought that the ultimate source of the name China is the Chinese word Qín (秦), the name of the Qin dynasty that ultimately unified China after existing as a state within the Zhou dynasty for many centuries prior. However, there are alternative suggestions for the etymology of this word.

Chinese names for China, aside from Zhongguo, include Zhōnghuá (中华; 中華; 'Central Hua'), Huáxià (华夏; 華夏), Shénzhōu (神州; 'divine state') and Jiǔzhōu (九州; 'nine states'). While official notions of Chinese nationality do not make any particular reference to ethnicity, common names for the largest ethnic group in China are Hàn (汉; 漢) and Táng (唐). The People's Republic of China (Zhōnghuá Rénmín Gònghéguó) and the Republic of China (Zhōnghuá Mínguó) are the official names of the two governments presently claiming sovereignty over "China". The term "mainland China" refers to areas under the PRC's jurisdiction, either including or excluding Hong Kong and Macau.

There are also names for China used around the world that are derived from the languages of ethnic groups other than Han Chinese: examples include "Cathay" from the Khitan language, and Tabgach from Tuoba. The realm ruled by the Emperor of China is also referred to as the Chinese Empire.