Where does “Chinese” come from?
Chinese derives from English China, from Portuguese China, from Sanskrit चीन, with the adjectival suffix -ensis from Latin, ultimately tracing to Proto-Indo-European ne.
Chinese (English): The people of China; All people of Chinese...
Definitions
- The people of China; All people of Chinese...
Ancestry of “Chinese”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | China | A Chinese person; Alternative form of cheyney:... |
| 2 | Portuguese | china | a woman, especially one of Native American... |
| 3 | Medieval Latin | Sina | — |
| 4 | Latin | Sīnae | the Chinese, specifically |
| 5 | Ancient Greek | Σῖναι | the southern Chinese |
| 6 | Arabic | صِين | — |
| 7 | Pahlavi | čīn | — |
| 8 | Sanskrit | चीन | the Chinese people; China; a bandage for the... |
| 9 | Old Chinese | 秦 | {{w|Qin |State of Qin}}, {{w|Qin dynasty}}; Qin |