Sanskrit Origin Place Names

Andonezi (Country) Persian
Persian form of Indonesia.

Bangal (Region & Political Subdivision) Persian
Persian form of Bengal.

Banghladish (Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Bangladesh.

Bangladés (Country) Spanish
Spanish form of Bangladesh.

Bangladéš (Country) Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak form of Bangladesh.

Banglades (Country) Hungarian
Hungarian form of Bangladesh.

Bangladeş (Country) Turkish
Turkish form of Bangladesh.

Bangladeš (Country) Slovene, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian
Slovene, Croatian, Serbian and Bosnian form of Bangladesh.

Bangladeša (Country) Latvian
Latvian form of Bangladesh.

Bangladešas (Country) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Bangladesh.

Bangladesch (Country) German
German form of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh (Country) Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Telugu, English, French, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Estonian, Russian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Uzbek, Mongolian, Armenian, Hebrew, Persian, Indonesian, Malay
From Bengali বাংলাদেশ (Bānglādesh) meaning "country of the Bengali people", from the name of the Bengali people বাংলা (Bānglā) combined with দেশ (desh) "country, state". The ethnic name is derived from that of the ancient kingdom of Vanga. This is the name of a country in south Asia.

Bangladesz (Country) Polish
Polish form of Bangladesh.

Banguradeshu (Country) Japanese
Japanese form of Bangladesh.

Banhladesh (Country) Ukrainian, Belarusian
Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Bangladesh.

Bengal (Region & Political Subdivision) English
From Persian بنگاله (Bangāleh), probably from the name of the ancient kingdom of Vanga. This is a region in south Asia, now divided between the country of Bangladesh and the Indian state of West Bengal.

Bengala (Region & Political Subdivision) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bengal.

Bharat (Country) Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Gujarati, Assamese, Urdu
From the name of the mythological king Bharata. This is the endonym for India in many of the languages of northern India.

Bharata (Country) Sanskrit, Kannada
Sanskrit and Kannada form of Bharat.

Bharot (Country) Bengali
Alternate transcription of Bengali ভারত (see Bharat).

Bombaim (Settlement) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Bombay.

Bombay (Settlement) French, Spanish, English
From Portuguese Bombaim, probably derived from Marathi Mumbai, possibly with influence from Portuguese bom bain meaning "good little bay". This is an older English name for Mumbai, officially used until 1995. It is also the form still commonly used in French and Spanish.

Bornéo (Island) French
French form of Borneo.

Borneo (Island) Malay, English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese (Archaic)
From a European (probably Portuguese) rendering of the name of the Sultanate of Brunei. This is an island in southeastern Asia divided between Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei. It is called Kalimantan in Indonesian.

Bornéu (Island) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Borneo.

Borunei (Country) Persian
Persian form of Brunei.

Brounei (Country) Greek
Greek form of Brunei.

Brunai (Country) Bengali, Thai, Arabic
Bengali and Thai form of Brunei, as well as an alternate Arabic transcription.

Brunay (Country) Arabic
Arabic form of Brunei.

Brunéi (Country) Spanish, Javanese, Sundanese, French
Spanish, Javanese and Sundanese form of Brunei, as well as a French variant.

Brunei (Country) Malay, Indonesian, English, German, Dutch, French, Italian, Portuguese, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Hungarian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Georgian, Turkish, Hindi, Tagalog
Possibly from Sanskrit वरुण, the Hindu god Varuna or figuratively meaning "water, ocean". However, according to tradition, Brunei was from the Malay phrase baru nah meaning "there!" or "that's it!", which was supposedly declared by Brunei's first sultan Muhammad Shah when he discovered it in the 14th century.... [more]

Brunej (Country) Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian
Form of Brunei in several languages.

Bruneja (Country) Latvian
Latvian form of Brunei.

Brunėjus (Country) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Brunei.

Bruney (Country) Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Armenian, Azerbaijani
Form of Brunei in several languages.

Calcuta (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Calcutta (see Kolkata).

Calcutá (Settlement) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Calcutta (see Kolkata).

Calcutta (Settlement) English, French
Previous English name of Kolkata, officially used until 2001. This is also the form still typically used in French.

Ceilão (Island & Country) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Ceylon.

Ceylon (Island & Country) English
Former name of the country of Sri Lanka. It is derived from Portuguese Ceilão, ultimately from a Pali form of Sanskrit सिंहल (siṃhala) meaning "lion-like".

Chin (Country) Hindi, Persian, Thai, Lao
Hindi, Persian, Thai and Lao form of China.

China (Country) English, German, Dutch, Spanish, Portuguese, Romanian, Malay, Sanskrit
From Persian چین (Chīn), probably derived via Sanskrit चीन (Cīna) from Qin, the name of a dynasty that ruled in China in the 3rd century BC. In China the name Zhongguo is used to refer to the country.

Chine (Country) French
French form of Chin.

Chiny (Country) Polish
Polish form of Chin.

Çin (Country) Turkish, Azerbaijani
Turkish and Azerbaijani form of China.

Čína (Country) Czech, Slovak
Czech and Slovak form of China.

Cina (Country) Italian
Italian form of China.

Delhi (Settlement) English
From Sanskrit दिल्ली (Dillī), possibly from देहली (dehalī) meaning "threshold", or possibly from the name of a 1st-century BC king. This is the name of a large city in northern India, which includes the district of New Delhi, the Indian capital.

Dilli (Settlement) Hindi, Marathi, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Sanskrit
Form of Delhi used in several Indian languages.

Džakarta (Settlement) Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Serbian, Slovene
Latvian, Lithuanian, Macedonian, Serbian and Slovene form of Jakarta.

Dżakarta (Settlement) Polish
Polish form of Jakarta.

Dzhakarta (Settlement) Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian, Kazakh
Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, Bulgarian and Kazakh form of Jakarta.

Ganga (River) Sanskrit, Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Punjabi, Nepali, Urdu, Bengali, Assamese, Odia, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Sinhalese, Mongolian, Czech, Slovak, Latvian, Lithuanian
Form of Ganges in several languages.

Gange (River) French, Italian, Romanian
French, Italian and Romanian form of Ganges.

Ganges (River) Ancient Greek, Ancient Roman, English, German, Polish, Spanish, Portuguese
From Ancient Greek Γάγγης (Ganges), derived from Sanskrit गङ्गा (Gaṅgā), derived from गम् (gam) meaning "to go". This is the name of a river in South Asia that flows through India and Bangladesh.

Gangga (River) Indonesian, Malay
Indonesian and Malay form of Ganges.

Giacarta (Settlement) Italian
Italian form of Jakarta.

Hend (Country) Persian
Persian form of India.

Hendustan (Country) Persian
Extended form of هند (Hend), the Persian form of India, using the suffix ستان (stān) meaning "land of".

Hind (Country) Arabic
Arabic form of India, usually written with the definite article: الهند (al-Hind).

Hindistan (Country) Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen, Uyghur
Turkish, Azerbaijani, Turkmen and Uyghur form of Hendustan, used as the name of the country of India.

Hindiston (Country) Uzbek
Uzbek form of Hendustan.

Hindustan (Country) Hindi, Urdu, English (Archaic)
Alternate name for India, of Persian origin.

Ilankai (Country & Island) Tamil
Tamil form of Sri Lanka.

Inde (Country) French
French form of India.

Índia (Country) Portuguese, Catalan, Occitan
Portuguese, Catalan and Occitan form of India.

India (Country) English, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Norwegian, Estonian, Slovak, Hungarian, Romanian, Albanian, Greek, Indonesian, Malay, Thai, Tagalog, Ancient Roman, Ancient Greek
Derived from the name of the Indus River. In many languages of India, the name Bharat is used to refer to the country. However, some southern Indian languages use spellings based on English India.

Indie (Country) Polish, Czech
Polish and Czech form of India.

Indien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of India.

Indija (Country) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian, Lithuanian
Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Latvian and Lithuanian form of India.

Indiya (Country) Telugu, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Kyrgyz, Tagalog
Telugu, Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian, Kyrgyz and Tagalog form of India.

Indiyawa (Country) Sinhalese
Sinhala form of India.

Indo (Country) Japanese, Korean
Japanese and Korean form of India. It is usually written in katakana in Japan and Hangul in Korea.

Indoneshia (Country) Japanese
Japanese form of Indonesia.

Indonésia (Country) Javanese, Sundanese, Portuguese
Javanese, Sundanese and Portuguese form of Indonesia.

Indonesia (Country) Indonesian, Malay, Buginese, Minangkabau, English, Italian, Spanish, Norwegian, Finnish, Korean
From Greek Ἰνδός (Indos), referring to the Indus, combined with νῆσος (nesos) meaning "island". This name has been used since the 18th century by colonial powers to refer to the Indonesian archipelago and since 1945 to refer to the independent nation.

Indonésie (Country) French, Czech
French and Czech form of Indonesia.

Indonesië (Country) Dutch
Dutch form of Indonesia.

Indonesien (Country) German, Swedish, Danish
German, Swedish and Danish form of Indonesia.

Indonēzija (Country) Latvian
Latvian form of Indonesia.

Indonezija (Country) Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian, Lithuanian
Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Slovene, Macedonian and Lithuanian form of Indonesia.

Indonezya (Country) Hebrew
Hebrew form of Indonesia.

Indonisha (Country) Burmese
Burmese form of Indonesia.

Indonisia (Country) Greek, Thai
Greek and Thai form of Indonesia.

Indos (River) Ancient Greek
Greek form of Indus.

Indunisiyawa (Country) Sinhalese
Sinhalese form of Indonesia.

Indus (River) English, Ancient Roman
From Old Persian Hindus, which was from Sanskrit सिन्धु (Sindhu) meaning "body of trembling water, river". This is the name of a river in Pakistan and India.

Intia (Country) Finnish
Finnish form of India.

Intiya (Country) Tamil
Tamil form of India.

Intya (Country) Malayalam
Malayalam form of India.

Jacarta (Settlement) Portuguese
Portuguese form of Jakarta.

Jakarta (Settlement) Indonesian, Malay, Javanese, Acehnese, Balinese, Minangkabau, Sundanese, English, German, French, Dutch, Danish, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Arabic, Hindi
From Sanskrit जयकर्ता (Jayakartā) meaning "victory accomplished", from जय (jaya) meaning "victory, conquest" and कृत (kṛta) meaning "done, accomplished". This is the name of the capital city of Indonesia. It was known as Batavia during the colonial (Dutch) era.

Jakaruta (Settlement) Japanese
Japanese form of Jakarta.

Kailash (Mountain) Hindi, Marathi
Probably derived from Sanskrit केलास (kelāsa) meaning "crystal". This is the name of a mountain in the Himalayas that is believed to be the paradise of the Hindu god Shiva.

Kailasha (Mountain) Sanskrit
Sanskrit form of Kailash.

Kalikata (Settlement) Odia
Odia form of Kolkata.

Kankai (River) Tamil
Tamil form of Ganges.

Kashi (Settlement) Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Sanskrit
From Sanskrit काशि (kāśi) meaning "shining". This is the name of a holy city in India, also called Varanasi.

Kina (Country) Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Croatian, Serbian, Macedonian, Albanian, Greek
Form of China.

Kolikota (Settlement) Assamese
Assamese form of Kolkata.

Kolkata (Settlement) Bengali, Hindi, Marathi, Telugu, English
Of uncertain meaning, possibly from the name of the Hindu goddess Kali 1 combined with Bengali ক্ষেত্র (kshetra) meaning "field" or ঘাট (ghāt) meaning "pier". This is the name of a city in West Bengal in India. It was established as a trading city by the British in the 17th century, on the site of the fishing village of কলিকাতা (Kalikātā). It was formerly called Calcutta.

Lanka (Island) Hinduism
Meaning unknown. According to Hindu texts, this was the name of the island stronghold of the demon king Ravana. It is uncertain whether this island can be identified with Sri Lanka, though Sri Lanka does take its name from it.

Mumbai (Settlement) Marathi, Hindi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu, Urdu, English, German, Russian
From Marathi मुंबा (Mumbā), the name of an incarnation of the Hindu mother goddess Devi, combined with आई (āī) meaning "mother". This is the name of a city in Maharashtra, India, formerly called Bombay.

Népal (Country) French
French form of Nepal.

Nepal (Country) Nepali, Hindi, English, German, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish, Estonian, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Ukrainian, Polish, Romanian, Slovene, Serbian, Croatian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Bulgarian, Greek, Turkish, Azerbaijani, Armenian, Indonesian, Malay, Sanskrit
From Sanskrit नेपाल (Nepāl), of unknown meaning. This is the name of a landlocked country in south Asia.

Shri Lanka (Country & Island) Sinhalese, Armenian, Bulgarian, Mongolian, Uzbek
Sinhala form of Sri Lanka, as well as the Armenian, Bulgarian, Mongolian and Uzbek form.

Shri-Lanka (Country & Island) Russian, Ukrainian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uzbek, Georgian
Form of Sri Lanka in several languages.

Shrilanka (Country & Island) Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, Nepali, Bengali, Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu
Form of Sri Lanka in several languages.

Sin (Country) Arabic, Hebrew
Arabic and Hebrew form of China. In Arabic it is properly written with the definite article: الصين (al-Ṣīn).

Sindhu (River) Sanskrit
Sanskrit form of Indus.

Singapore (Country, Settlement & Island) English, Dutch, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Italian, Romanian
From Malay Singapura meaning "lion city", derived from Sanskrit siṃha "lion" and pura "city". This is the name of a city-state situated on an island (of the same name) at the southern end of the Malay Peninsula.

Singapour (Country, Settlement & Island) French
French form of Singapore.

Singapúr (Country, Settlement & Island) Icelandic
Icelandic form of Singapore.

Singapur (Country, Settlement & Island) Hindi, Urdu, Spanish, German, Estonian, Russian, Polish, Czech, Slovak, Slovene, Bulgarian, Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Turkmen, Uzbek, Turkish, Armenian
Form of Singapore in several languages.

Singapūra (Country, Settlement & Island) Latvian
Latvian form of Singapore.

Singapura (Country, Settlement & Island) Malay, Indonesian, Portuguese (European)
Malay, Indonesian and Portuguese form of Singapore.

Singapūras (Country, Settlement & Island) Lithuanian
Lithuanian form of Singapore.

Sinhala (Island) Sanskrit
Sanskrit form of Ceylon.

Sinhapur (Country, Settlement & Island) Ukrainian, Belarusian
Ukrainian and Belarusian form of Singapore.

Sinhapura (Settlement & Island) Sanskrit
Sanskrit form of Singapore.

Siri Lanka (Country & Island) Urdu
Urdu form of Sri Lanka.

Sirilanka (Country & Island) Arabic, Swahili
Arabic and Swahili form of Sri Lanka.

Šri Lanka (Country & Island) Croatian, Serbian, Bosnian, Macedonian, Lithuanian
Form of Sri Lanka in several languages.

Sri Lanka (Country & Island) English, German, Dutch, Afrikaans, French, Portuguese, Italian, Spanish, Catalan, Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Finnish, Estonian, Polish, Romanian, Albanian, Greek, Turkish, Malay, Indonesian
From Sinhalese ශ්‍රී ලංකා (Shrī Lankā), derived from the Sanskrit honorific श्री (śrī) meaning "holy, sacred" combined with the name of the legendary island of Lanka. This is an island nation in southern Asia. Formerly known as Ceylon when it was a colony of the Portuguese, Dutch and English, the country adopted the name Sri Lanka when it became a republic in 1972.

Undistan (Country) Kazakh
Kazakh form of Hendustan.

Vanga (Region) Sanskrit
An ancient kingdom located in what is now eastern India and Bangladesh. Its meaning is uncertain.

Venkata (Mountain) Hindi, Sanskrit
Possibly means "self-born" in Sanskrit. This is the name of a sacred hill in southern India.

Yakarta (Settlement) Spanish
Spanish form of Jakarta.

Yamuna (River) Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Sanskrit
Name of an Indian river, a major tributary of the Ganges, derived from Sanskrit यम (yama) meaning "twin".

Yindu (Country) Chinese
Chinese form of India.