<P> The names of China include the many contemporary and historical appellations given in various languages for the East Asian country known as Zhongguo ( 中國 / 中国 ) in its official language . China , the name in English for the country , was derived from Portuguese in the 16th century , and became popular in the mid 19th century . It is believed to be a borrowing from Middle Persian , and some have traced it further back to Sanskrit . It is also generally thought that the ultimate source of the name China is the Chinese word `` Qin '' ( Chinese : 秦 ) , the name of the dynasty that unified China but also existed as a state for many centuries prior . There are however other alternative suggestions for the origin of the word . </P>
<P> The names of China include the many contemporary and historical appellations given in various languages for the East Asian country known as Zhongguo ( 中國 / 中国 ) in its official language . China , the name in English for the country , was derived from Portuguese in the 16th century , and became popular in the mid 19th century . It is believed to be a borrowing from Middle Persian , and some have traced it further back to Sanskrit . It is also generally thought that the ultimate source of the name China is the Chinese word `` Qin '' ( Chinese : 秦 ) , the name of the dynasty that unified China but also existed as a state for many centuries prior . There are however other alternative suggestions for the origin of the word . </P>
where does the country name china come from
where does the country name china come from
derived from Portuguese in the 16th century , and became popular in the mid 19th century
derived from Portuguese in the 16th century , and became popular in the mid 19th century