Have you ever wondered why the same country can have several completely different names? Vietnamese speakers say Nhật Bản, English speakers say Japan, while Japanese speakers write 日本 and pronounce it Nihon or Nippon.

These names do not refer to different countries. They are different linguistic names for the same geographical place. Two terms help us understand this phenomenon: endonym and exonym, commonly translated into Vietnamese as nội danh and ngoại danh.

What is an endonym?

An endonym is a geographical name used in a language that is official or well established in the area where the geographical feature is located. In simpler terms, it is a name used locally, or “from within” the place.

For example, the Japanese name for Japan is 日本, pronounced Nihon or Nippon. Because it is used in Japanese within Japan, it is an endonym.

Other examples include Deutschland in German, Ελλάδα (Elláda) in Greek, 中国 (Zhōngguó) in Chinese and España in Spanish.

What is an exonym?

An exonym is a name used in a particular language for a geographical feature outside the region where that language is widely spoken, when the name differs in form from the corresponding local endonym.

For example, Japan is the established English name, while Nhật Bản is the Vietnamese name for the country whose Japanese endonym is 日本 (Nihon/Nippon).

The table places the names side by side for comparison. The order of the columns does not imply that the Vietnamese name was borrowed through English.

For example, Nhật Bản is connected to the Sino-Vietnamese reading of the characters 日本, not simply a Vietnamese adaptation of the English word Japan.

Why do names change?

History

Place names travel through trade, migration, diplomacy, religion, exploration and political contact. As a name passes between communities, its spelling and pronunciation may gradually change.

Some names became established centuries before modern international naming conventions existed.

Pronunciation

Every language has its own sound system. A sound that is common in one language may be difficult or unavailable in another, so speakers often adapt foreign names to familiar pronunciation patterns.

Over time, the adapted version may become the standard name in that language.

Writing systems

The world uses many writing systems, including the Latin alphabet, Chinese characters, Greek, Arabic and Devanagari.

When a name moves between writing systems, it may be transliterated according to its characters, transcribed according to its pronunciation, translated according to its meaning or replaced by an established traditional name.

These methods can produce forms that look very different from one another.

Language routes

A language does not always receive a place name directly from the language spoken in that place. The name may arrive through one or more intermediate languages.

This is one reason a modern exonym may sound very different from the current endonym.

Is a romanized name an exonym?

Not necessarily. Consider 日本 (Nihon). Nihon is the Japanese endonym represented with Latin letters. The writing system has changed, but the underlying Japanese name has not.

It is therefore important to distinguish between a local name written in another script and a genuinely different name used by another language.

Can one country have several endonyms?

Yes. A country may have several official or well-established languages, and each language may use its own local name.

For example, Finland has both Finnish and Swedish as national languages. Suomi is the Finnish-language name, while Finland is the Swedish-language name. In the appropriate linguistic contexts, both can function as endonyms.

This is why it is not always accurate to present one name as the only “real local name” and classify every other form as foreign.

Is the first name always the endonym?

No. An infographic may place the locally used name first for clarity, but its position does not determine its linguistic classification.

What matters is the language in which the name is used, whether that language is official or well established in the area, and whether the name differs from the relevant local form.

“The first name is the endonym” can be a reading instruction for one graphic, but it is not a universal linguistic rule.

Same place, different language paths

Nihon, Japan and Nhật Bản all refer to the same country. Deutschland, Germany and Đức also refer to the same place.

These names reflect centuries of language contact, cultural exchange and historical development. Learning them helps us understand not only geography, but also the relationships between languages and communities.

The map remains the same. The language used to describe it changes.