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Definition 2024


支那

支那

Chinese

phonetic
simp. and trad.
(支那)

Proper noun

支那

  1. (often derogatory) China

Japanese

Kanji in this term

Grade: 5

Grade: S
on'yomi

Etymology

From Middle Chinese 支那 (tsye na), a phonetic transcription of Sanskrit चीन (cīna), itself likely deriving from Old Chinese (*dzin), the name of the Qin Dynasty and the Qin state.

Pronunciation

Alternative forms

Proper noun

支那 (hiragana しな, katakana シナ, romaji Shina)

  1. China (prewar; often considered derogatory in modern speech)

Usage notes

The kanji spelling 支那 was more common historically, and is still encountered with some frequency when this word is used. Modern usage includes シナ in katakana. However, this term as a whole is used less frequently than in the past, due in part to changes in geopolitics.

Derived terms