支那

From Sanskrit चीन (cīna), which in turn is likely from Old Chinese 秦 (*zin),^[1][2] but other theories have been proposed, including derivation from 晉 / 晋 (jìn, “Jin”) < Middle Chinese 晉 (tsin^H) < Old Chinese 晉 (*ʔsins) (Zhengzhang, 2006), 荊 / 荆 (jīng, “Jing”),^[3] or the Zina of 夜郎 (Yèláng, “Yelang”).^[3] Cognate with English China. See "Names of China", "Chinas" and "Shina (word)" at Wikipedia.

支那

1. (originally neutral, now derogatory and offensive) China

   • 支那曩者苦滿清虐政，國民共起革專制為共和。 [Classical Chinese, trad.]
     支那曩者苦满清虐政，国民共起革专制为共和。 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

     From: 1914, Sun Yat-sen, 《致日本首相大隈重信勸助中國革命函》

     Zhīnà nǎng zhě kǔ Mǎnqīng nüèzhèng, guómín gòng qǐ gé zhuānzhì wèi gònghé. [Pinyin]

     China suffered from the Manchurian Qing tyranny in the past, and so the people of the nation rose up, overthrew the autocrat and established the republic.

• Originally used in ancient Indian records and some Chinese Buddhist texts. This term was popular in China as a neutral word after the Meiji Restoration, but became derogatory and offensive during and after the Second Sino-Japanese War due to its association with Japanese war crimes. Now it is usually only used in some technical terms, such as 印度支那 (Yìndù-Zhīnà, “Indochina”) and 交趾支那 (Jiāozhǐ-Zhīnà, “Cochinchina”), or by Hong Kong and Taiwan independence activists as a deliberate slur for mainland China.

• 震旦 (Zhèndàn)

• Thesaurus:中國

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

支那

1. (～鄉) Zhina (a township in Yingjiang, Dehong prefecture, Yunnan, China)

• Ding, Fubao (丁福保) (1922), “支那” in 佛學大辭典 [A Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms].

• 支那 on the Chinese Wikipedia.Wikipedia ^zh
• Shina (word) on Wikipedia.Wikipedia

From Middle Chinese 支那 (MC tsye na), a phonetic transcription of Sanskrit चीन (cīna), itself likely deriving from Old Chinese 秦 (*zin), the name of the Qin Dynasty and the Qin state.

• (Tokyo) しな [shíꜜnà] (Atamadaka – [1])^[1]
• IPA^(key): [ɕina̠]

支(し)那(な) or 支那(シナ) • (Shina) 

1. (prewar, often considered derogatory, offensive in modern speech, ethnic slur) China
2. (offensive, ethnic slur) Ryukyuan people^[2]

The kanji spelling 支那 was more common historically, and is still encountered with some frequency when this word is used. Modern usage includes シナ in katakana, used to censor the term due to its offensive use. However, this term as a whole is used less frequently than in the past, due to changes in geopolitics and the use of this word as an ethnic slur.

支那 • (Jina) (hangeul 지나)

1. hanja form^? of 지나 (“(prewar, often considered derogatory in modern speech) China”)

支那

1. chữ Hán form of Chi Na (“China”)
   • 1922, Trương Cam Lựu 張甘榴, Tây Nam nhị thập bát hiếu diễn ca 西南二十八孝演歌 [Versified Songs of the Twenty-Eight Filial Exemplars of the Southwest], pg. 23b

     支那𱺵渃艚

     Chi Na là nước Tàu

     "China" is China.