Chiny (Polish)
Where does "Chiny" come from?
The Polish name 'Chiny' was borrowed from German 'China'[1]. This name ultimately traces back through European and Middle Eastern languages to Sanskrit 'cīna'[2], which is widely held to derive from Old Chinese '秦'[4][5], referring to the ancient Qin state.
Open questions
- The derivation of Sanskrit 'cīna' from Old Chinese '秦' is a widely held theory rather than a completely certain fact. [5]
Full etymology tree
- Chiny (Polish), 'China (a region of East Asia)'
- borrowed China (German), 'China (a country in East Asia)'
- inherited China (Dutch), 'China (a country in eastern Asia)'
- inherited China (Portuguese), 'China (a country in eastern Asia)'
- borrowed چین (čin) (Persian), 'China (a country in Asia)'
- inherited 𐭰𐭩𐭭 (cyn) (Middle Persian)
- inherited 𐨕𐨁𐨣 (cina) (Gandhari)
- inherited चीन (cīna) (Sanskrit), 'the Cīna or China (name of a people attested in classical literature, often identified as the Chinese)'
- derived 秦 (*zin) (Old Chinese)
- inherited चीन (cīna) (Sanskrit), 'the Cīna or China (name of a people attested in classical literature, often identified as the Chinese)'
- inherited 𐨕𐨁𐨣 (cina) (Gandhari)
- inherited 𐭰𐭩𐭭 (cyn) (Middle Persian)
- borrowed چین (čin) (Persian), 'China (a country in Asia)'
- inherited China (Portuguese), 'China (a country in eastern Asia)'
- inherited China (Dutch), 'China (a country in eastern Asia)'
- borrowed China (German), 'China (a country in East Asia)'
Ancestors
- China (German)
Descendants and derived words
- Chińczyk (Polish)
- Chinka (Polish)
- za Chiny (Polish)
- za Chiny Ludowe (Polish)
Sources
- Chiny (Polish) - Wiktionary
- China (German) - Wiktionary
- China (Portuguese) - Wiktionary
- چین (čin) (Persian) - Wiktionary
- चीन (cīna) (Sanskrit) - Wiktionary
- Sina (Latin) - Wiktionary
- Σῖναι (Ancient Greek) - Wiktionary
Updated October 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris