How the natives call their countries!
What are Endonym & Exonym?
Endonym is an indigenous name given by a group of people to refer to themselves, their language or their countries in local language. On the contrary, exonym is a common and more internationally accepted name used by foreigners to refer to a place, country, ethnic group or language. For instance, Egypt is the exonym that we, the rest of the world, use to refer to the land of pyramids. But in Arabic the locals call it Misr or Masr, an example of endonym. In this article, you’ll find out about some interesting endonyms or native names of countries.
There are about 195 countries in the world today, each with its own culture, language and heritage. With a combined total of about 7000 languages spoken in these 195 countries, it’s hard to delve into and adapt to the native aspects of each country. The British, who ruled much of the world for a long time, got a taste of the vast cultural and linguistic differences that exist around the world. Realizing that they couldn’t pronounce native names of places and geographical features in the local languages (endonyms), they gave their own English names to these places (exonyms). As English became the most widely accepted language in the world, so did these names. In this article, we look at the endonyms or native names of some of the countries of the world.
“What’s in a name? That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet.”
– William Shakespeare
List of Endonyms or Native Names of Countries
Germany
Native name of Germany: Deutschland (Pronounced as daw-esh-land)
Official name of Germany: Federal Republic of Germany or Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Philippines
Native name of Philippines: Pilipinas (Pronounced as pi-li-pi-nas)
Official name of Philippines: Republic of the Philippines or Republika ng Pilipinas
Japan
Native name of Japan: Nippon or Nihon (Pronounced as nip-pon; nee-hon)
Official name of Japan: Japan or Nippon-koku
Ireland
Native name of Ireland: Éire (Pronounced as ae-shje; listen to the pronunciation here)
Official name of Ireland: Ireland
Sweden
Native name of Sweden: Sverige (Pronounced as s-va-ri-ya; listen to the pronunciation here)
Official name of Sweden: Kingdom of Sweden or Konungariket Sverige
Greece
Native name of Greece: Elláda (Pronounced as el-la-va)
Official name of Greece: Hellenic Republic
Poland
Native name of Poland: Polska (Pronounced as pols-ka)
Official name of Poland: Republic of Poland or Rzeczpospolita Polska
Norway
Native name of Norway: Norge (Pronounced as noro-ghe)
Official name of Norway: Kingdom of Norway or Kongeriket Norge
Italy
Native name of Italy: Italia (Pronounced as ee-ta-li-a)
Official name of Italy: Italian Republic or Repubblica Italiana
Finland
Native name of Finland: Suomi (Pronounced as su-o-mee)
Official name of Finland: Republic of Finland or Suomen tasavalta
Spain
Native name of Spain: España (Pronounced as es-pa-niya)
Official name of Spain: Kingdom of Spain or Reino de España
Czech Republic
Native name of Czech Republic: Ceská republika (Pronounced as chess-kaa ray-pob-li-ca)
Official name of Czech Republic: The Czech Republic
India
Native name of India: Bharat (Pronounced as bhaa-rat)
Official name of India: Republic of India or Bharat Ganarajya
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