Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Indochina” come from?

Indochina derives from English China via Portuguese China, ultimately from Sanskrit चीन, a name for the region or people of East Asia.

Ancestry of “Indochina”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchIndochine—
2FrenchIndo-—
3LatinIndia—
4Ancient GreekἸνδία—
5Ancient GreekἸνδόςan inhabitant of India or the Indian...
6Old Persian𐏃𐎡𐎯𐎢𐏁India; people living beyond the Indus
7Sanskritसिन्धुa river, stream; flood, waters; ocean, sea
8Proto-Indo-Aryansíndʰuṣriver, ocean; flow
9Proto-Indo-Iraniansíndʰušriver, stream
10Sanskritसिन्धु॑—

Words derived from “Indochina”

  • 인도차이나
Every word from Sanskrit सिन्धु॑ →