In China, the names of most foreign countries are transliterated, which involves selecting Chinese characters to create a word that sounds similar to the original name of the country. In the Chinese language, individual characters may not have a specific meaning on their own, and some characters may even have multiple meanings. Therefore, they are combined into groups to form words that carry meaning and can be translated. As a result, the Chinese translations of these countries’ names often reflect the literal meaning of the original names. Chinese people like this kind of play on words, it’s not only an integral part of Chinese humor, but it’s also used as a (biased) way to infer the personality and habits of people and things.
Translation of the names of European countries from the Chinese language.
Belarus: “White Russia”
Belgium: “Time to compare profits”
Bosnia: “Persia Nun-ya”
Bulgaria: “Insurance + Profit-ya”
Croatia: “Crow to Asia”
Czech Republic: “Victory Gram Republic”
Dania: “Red Wheal”
Estonia: “Love land Nun-ya”
Finland: “Orchid Fragrance”
France: “Law Land”
Germany: “Moral Land”
Greece: “Longing for cured meat”
Hungary: “Hun teeth profit”
Iceland: “Ice Land”
Ireland: “Love your Orchid”
Italy: “Meaning big profit”
Kosovo: “Science Takes Fertile Soil”
Latvia “Pull-off Via”
Lithuania: “Stand Pottery Wan”
Luxemburg: “Lu Forest Fort”
Montenegro: “Black mountain”
Netherland: “Lotus Orchid”
Norway: “Move Prestige”
Romania: “Luo Horse Nun Ya”
Russia: “Sudden Country”
Serbia: “Sale Via”
Sweden: “Very Lucky Soldiers”
Spain: “Western class teeth”
Switzerland: “Lucky gentleman” or “Swiss Scholar”
United Kingdom: “Brave Land”
Ukraine: “Dark Gram Orchid”
A literal translation of Chinese names for Asian countries
Afganistan: “A rich sweat”
Armenia: “Asia beautiful ni Asia”
Azerbaijan: “A block worship however”
Australia “Big bay, inferior profits”
Bahrein: “Card eminent”
Bhutan “Not red”
China: “Middle kingdom”
Cambodia: “Letter to the plain of the stronghold”
Georgia: “Tall rule Asia”
India: “Print degree”
Indonesia: “Print degrees Buddhist nun West Asia”
Iran: “He bright”
Iraq: “He pull capture”
Israel: “list according to color”
Japan: “Land of the Rising Sun”
Kazakhstan: “Laugh Budda gram this frank”
Kirgistan: “Lucky thou lucky this frank”
Kuwait: “Brach prestige special”
Malaysia: “Horse comes to West Asia”
Mongolia “Cover ancient”
Nepal: “Buddist nun berth thou”
New Zealand: “New west orchid flowers”
North Korea “Morning fresh”
Oman “A storehouse”
Pakistan: “Hope base this frank”
Philippines: “Fragrant law guest”
Singapore: “Newly added slope”
Saudi Arabia: “Sand special earth. A pull senior”
South Korea “Fence county”
Tajikistan: “Tower lucky gram this frank”
Thailand: “Country of peace”
Tawan: “Station Bay”
Turkey: “Earth ear its”
Turkmenistan: “Earth storehouse graceful”
Uzbekistan: “Dark hereby other gram this frank”
Vietnam: “More south”
Yemen: “Leaf door”
United Emirates: “A pull senior. Join big duchy”
Translation of the names of North American and South American countries from the Chinese language.
The United States of America translates to Chinese Mandarin as “Beautiful country”.
Literal translations of Mandarin Chinese names for “Beautiful Country”
Alabama: “Oh, to Wish to Pull Horses”
Alaska: “Oh, to Pull this Increase”
Arizona: “Inferior Profit Sauna”
Arkansas: “Oh, to Consent to Color”
California: “To Add Profit and Luck to Asian Buddhist Nun”
Colorado: “To Pull and Gather Many Branches of Study”
Connecticut: “To Blacken Healthy Tribes Standard”
Delaware: “Especially Pull Magnificence”
Florida: “To Attain and Gather Buddha Homes”
Georgia: “To Assist Punishing Asia”
Hawaii: “Prestigious Summer Barbarians”
Idaho: “Love to Attain Lotus”
Illinois: “He Promises Profit”
Indiana: “To Enjoy Native Americans”
Iowa: “Loves Mysterious Magnificence”
Kansas: “To Endure SARS”
Kentucky: “To Consent to Basic Morality”
Louisiana: “That Peaceful Louis”
Maine: “Distant Reason”
Maryland: “Horse Home Orchid”
Massachusetts: “Strategic Path of Various Bodhisattva Horses”
Michigan: “The Basis of Secret Rest”
Minnesota: “To Revive to Attain Bright Buddist Nun”
Mississippi: “Secret Double Western Ratio”
Missouri: “To Revive Secret Home”
Montana: “Ignorant Big Capture”
Nebraska: “To Pull and Increase this Internal Cloth”
Nevada: “Attain Magnificence Inside”
New Hampshire: “To Announce New Rare Assorted Cloth-Like That”
New Jersey: “New Western Moist”
New Mexico: “New Western Ink Elder Brother”
New York: “To Restrict Buttons”
North Carolina: “To Enjoy Collecting Next Northern Calorie”
North Dakota: “To Attain His Northern Branch”
Ohio: “Very Soon Year of the Boar Very Soon”
Oklahoma: “Very Soon to Be Able to Pull What Horse”
Oregon: “To Force a Mound Very Soon”
Pennsylvania: “The Inferior Buddhist Nun Law of Dusk Visitors”
Rhode Island: “To Collect Islands”
South Carolina: “To Enjoy Collecting Next Southern Calorie”
South Dakota: “To Attain His Southern Branch”
Tennessee: “To Enjoy Western Fields”
Texas: “Kindness to Restrain SARS”
Utah: “Still Him”
Vermont: “Especially Ignorant Buddha”
Virginia: “Not Lucky Asian Buddhist Nun”
Washington: “Flourishing Magnificence at Once”
West Virginia: “Not Lucky Western Asian Buddhist Nun”
Wisconsin: “This Prestigious Healthy Star”
Wyoming: “Suddenly Bright Bosom”
Other countries in the Americas
Canada: “Add grab big”
Mexico: “Ink west older brother”
Haiti: “Sea land”
Guatemala: “In the land of danger, the horse pulls”.
Brazil: “Next to the West”
Chile: “Favourable Wisdom”
Peru: “Unfriendly Secret”
Translation of the names of African countries from the Chinese language
Cape Verde: “Buddha’s Virtuous Cape”
Djibouti: “Carry the lucky cloth”
Egypt: “Catching up to dust”
Gabon: “Add daisies”
Namibia: “Comparing extremely small profits”
South Africa: “South Africa”.
Central African Republic: “Central African Republic”
Chad: “Sudden Morality”
