خىتاي

Uyghur
Other scripts
Perso-Arabic خىتاي‎‍
Cyrillic Хитай
Roman ‍Xitay‍

Etymology

From Khitan Khita(n). Cognate with English Cathay

Noun

خىتاي • (xitay)

  1. (dated, now offensive) A man who is Chinese.

Proper noun

خىتاي • (xitay)

  1. (dated, now offensive) China (a country in Asia)
    Synonym: جۇڭگو‎ (junggo)

Usage notes

Although this term for China is shared with most Central Asian and Slavic languages, whose forms of the name probably derive their -i and -y endings from Uyghur,[1] as it refers to an era of nomadic domination over the Han, it is formally prohibited within China and functions as a kind of racial slur.

References
  1. Sinor, D. (1998) "The Kitan and the Kara Kitay" in History of Civilizations of Central Asia, Vol. IV, Pt. I, UNESCO, p. 241.
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