Beijing
/ˌbeɪˈdʒɪŋ/noun
The capital city of China.
Did you know?The city’s name reflects an old Chinese naming pattern where capitals were labeled by direction and status, so the name itself encodes imperial geography.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Chinese
北
“north”
Ancient China
Chinese
京
“capital city”
14th Century
Chinese
北京
“Northern Capital”
16th Century
Portuguese/English
Peking
“Older Western romanization of the city’s name”
Modern English
English
Beijing
“Standard modern Romanization of the Chinese capital”