中国

See also: 中國

Chinese

For pronunciation and definitions of 中国 – see 中國 (“middle country; central country; China; etc.”). (This term 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

Japanese Wikipedia has an article on:

中国

Wikipedia ^ja

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.^[1]

(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)

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) [Nobita and the Animal Planet] (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])^[2]
(Tokyo) ちゅうごく [chùúgókú] (Heiban – [0])^[3]
IPA^(key): [t͡ɕɨᵝːɡo̞kɯ̟ᵝ]
Audio: (file)

Noun

中(ちゅう)国(ごく) • (chūgoku)

the central part of a country, historically, commonly known as the capital city or the main region, where an emperor or other ruler resides
something within a country
(historical) under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system, a province of the third rank according to a four-rank system based on population and area
(historical) under the 律令 (Ritsuryō) system, a province of the second rank according to the distance from the capital city
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)

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)

a surname

References

^ Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
^ Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN
^ Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

Zhuang

Proper noun

中国

Sawndip form of Cunghgoz

[1] Shōgaku Tosho (1988) 国語大辞典（新装版） [Unabridged Dictionary of Japanese (Revised Edition)] (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN

[SMK5-2] Kindaichi, Kyōsuke et al., editors (1997), 新明解国語辞典 [Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten] (in Japanese), Fifth edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[DJR-3] Matsumura, Akira, editor (2006), 大辞林 [Daijirin] (in Japanese), Third edition, Tokyo: Sanseidō, →ISBN

[1]

[2]

[3]