Shina (word)

Shina is a term historically used to refer to China that is now regarded as a derogatory and offensive ethnic slur against Chinese people. The word entered Japanese language from Chinese and Sanskrit sources in earlier centuries with a neutral connotation, but its connotations shifted over time as it became widely used in the context of Japanese imperialism in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Use of the term by Japanese speakers became strongly associated with notions of Japanese superiority and colonial domination, particularly during the First and Second Sino-Japanese Wars, contributing to its perception as insulting by Chinese communities. After World War II, the term fell into disuse in formal Japanese and has been largely supplanted by Chūgoku (中国), the standard name for China in Japanese.

In more recent years, variants of the term have appeared in some political rhetoric outside Japan, where it has continued to be perceived as xenophobic or offensive.