中国

See also: 中國

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 中国 – see 中國 (“China; etc.”). (This term, 中国, is the simplified form of 中國.)

Notes: Simplified Chinese is mainly used in Mainland China, Malaysia, and Singapore. Traditional Chinese is mainly used in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan.

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
中	国
ちゅう Grade: 1	こく > ごく Grade: 2
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
中國 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 中國 (MC trjuwng kwok, literally “central country”). Compare modern Cantonese 中國／中国 (zung¹ gwok³). Attested from at least the 12th century.

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium. Particularly: “Where the "China" sense first attested in a Japanese document?”)

Proper noun

中(ちゅう)国(ごく) • (Chūgoku) 

1. China
   1. (historical or contemporary) any of several kingdoms, empires, or states of the Chinese people

      Hyponyms: 殷 (In), 周 (Shū), 秦 (Shin), 漢 (Kan), 唐 (Tō), 中華民国 (Chūka Minkoku)

      • c. 1120, Konjaku monogatari shū [Tales of Times Now Past], scroll 6:

        造(つく)り奉(まつ)れる体(すがた)を見(み)るに、中(ちゅう)國(ごく)には不(ふ)似(に)ず、面(めん)[めう]胡(こ)国(こく)に似(に)たり。

        Tsukuri matsureru sugata o miru ni, Chūgoku ni wa fu-nizu, men[meu] kokoku ni nitari.

        Judging from the appearance [of the statue], it is not unlike those in China, though the face resembles the northern nations.

   2. (especially in contemporary usage) short for 中華人民共和国 (Chūka Jinmin Kyōwakoku), the People's Republic of China
      • 1998 November 30 [1990 November 25], Fujiko F. Fujio, のび太(た)とアニマル惑星(プラネット) (大長編ドラえもん; 10), 22nd edition, volume 10 (fiction), Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 27:

        クニ？クニってなあに。

        Kuni? Kuni tte nāni.

        Country? What’s a country?

        アメリカとか中(ちゅう)国(ごく)とかいろいろあるじゃない。

        Amerika toka Chūgoku toka iroiro aru ja nai.

        You know, countries. There are a bunch of them like America and China.

Derived terms

• 中(ちゅう)国(ごく)語(ご) (Chūgoku-go, “Chinese language”)
• 中(ちゅう)国(ごく)人(じん) (Chūgoku-jin, “Chinese person/people”)
• 中(ちゅう)国(ごく)料(りょう)理(り) (Chūgoku ryōri, “Chinese cuisine”)

Related terms

• 中(ちゅう)華(か) (Chūka)
• 支(し)那(な) (Shina) (used before World War II, now offensive)

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
中	国
ちゅう Grade: 1	こく > ごく Grade: 2
on’yomi

Alternative spelling
中國 (kyūjitai)

From Middle Chinese 中國 (MC trjuwng kwok). (Can this⁽⁺⁾ etymology be sourced?)

Analyzable as a compound of 中 (chū, “center, middle”) +‎ 国 (koku, “province”). The koku changes to goku as an instance of rendaku (連濁).

Pronunciation

• (Tokyo) ちゅ​うごく [chúꜜùgòkù] (Atamadaka – [1])
• (Tokyo) ちゅうごく [chùúgókú] (Heiban – [0])
• IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɨᵝːɡo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

中(ちゅう)国(ごく) • (chūgoku) 

1. the central part of a country, historically, commonly known as the capital city or the main region, where an emperor or other ruler resides
2. something within a country
3. (historical) under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system, a province of the third rank according to a four-rank system based on population and area
4. (historical) under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system, a province of the second rank according to the distance from the capital city
5. collective term for the 山陽道 (San'yōdō) and 山陰道 (San'indō) regions of Japan

Derived terms

• 中(ちゅう)国(ごく)地(ち)方(ほう) (Chūgoku chihō)

Proper noun

中(ちゅう)国(ごく) • (Chūgoku) 

1. Short for 中国地方 (Chūgoku chihō): the Chūgoku region of Japan

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
中	国
なか Grade: 1	くに Grade: 2
kun’yomi

Alternative spelling
中國 (kyūjitai)

From 中 (naka, “center, middle”) +‎ 国 (kuni, “country”).

Proper noun

中(なか)国(くに) • (Nakakuni) 

1. a surname

See also

• 中(なか)つ国(くに) (naka tsu kuni)

Zhuang

Proper noun

中国

1. Sawndip form of Cunghgoz