Nanai
/nəˈnaɪ/noun
A member of a Tungusic-speaking Indigenous people of the Russian Far East and northeastern China, or their language.
Did you know?The Nanai language is part of the endangered Southern Tungusic branch and is traditionally associated with the Amur River region, where shamanic practices historically formed an important part of cultural life.
Etymological Timeline
Early historical period
Tungusic
Nanai
“The endonym used by the Nanai people; its internal etymology is disputed.”
17th Century
Russian
гольды (Goldy)
“A historical Russian name for the Nanai, derived through contact-era usage and later treated as an exonym.”
18th–19th Century
Chinese
赫哲 (Hezhe)
“A Chinese name used for the Nanai and closely related peoples of the Amur region.”
19th Century
Russian
нанайцы
“The Russian plural ethnonym for the Nanai people, formed from Nanai.”
Modern English
English
Nanai
“The standard English ethnonym for the people and the name of their Tungusic language.”