Endonyms

An endonym is the name used by a group to refer to themselves, their language, or their homeland. It is the self-designation, in contrast to an exonym, which is a name given by outsiders. Endonyms are typically formed in the group’s own language and script and reflect language, history, and identity. The term is used in linguistics, ethnography, and toponymy. In some contexts, autonym is used as a synonym for endonym, but autonym more often refers to the self-designation of an organization or community.

Endonyms appear in many contexts, including countries, regions, languages, and ethnic groups. Examples of country endonyms include Deutschland for Germany, Sverige for Sweden, Nihon or Nippon for Japan, and Magyarország for Hungary. For China, the endonym is Zhongguo (中国). Endonyms also occur for languages themselves: Deutsch for German, Français for French, and 日本語 for Japanese. In multilingual states, different communities may use different endonyms for the same place, producing a variety of forms such as België (Dutch), Belgique (French), and Belgien (German) for Belgium.

Endonyms can evolve with political and cultural change. Some nations have shifted from historic exonyms toward self-designations, such as Persia giving way to Iran, or efforts to standardize international usage of Türkiye as the country’s name in Turkish. The study of endonyms intersects with onomastics and toponymy and has implications for language policy, cultural rights, and international diplomacy.