How do foreigners call your country? Strange (for you) names! 😁

[mqwadrat]

Hey, 

I was born in Poland, I also raised and... still live here. Poland in Poland we call: Polska. 😍

The word "Polska" in other countries sounds and is written quite similar... it is impossible not to guess what the country is: Poland, Polen, Polonia, Puola, Pologne, Poloni, Polonya, Poland, Il-Polonja, Polonia, Poljska ... and many more, more or less similar names. 

It is funny, that very close to us, are two countries (one of them is our neighbor), with very common history with us, that calls my country completely different than we could expect:

- Lithuania: they call us Lenkaja, 🤪

- Hungary: calling us Lengyelország. 😅

🤣

How they call Polska in other countries in Europe

I have always been fascinated by it and I am curious if your countries are sometimes called completely different than you call them yourself?

... and maybe you call my country also in not similar way to: Polska?

m

[TorM]

Dear @mqwadrat , cool post.

What I have to say...

I live in Germany:

The neighbor country call us: Niemcy, Alemange, Germany, Allemania, Tyskland, Nemetorzag... 😉

I love always the story about Polonium and Maria Sklodowska Curie, who named the material after her home country.

[mqwadrat]

@TorM ... no, you don't live in Germany... you live in Deutschland 😉

By the way ... do you know why your country is called: "Niemcy" in Poland? 🤔

The word "Niemcy" comes from the word "niemy" (mute). 😅

Hundreds of years ago, the territories of today's Poland were inhabited by dozens of Slavic tribes, whose languages were similar to each other. But, in the west of that territories, there lived tribes whose languages were so unlike ours that even when they said something to us, we did not understand them anyway ... as if they were "mute". 😎

... so .... Niemcy ≈ niemy ≈ mute 😅 ... the genesis of this name is amazing to me!!!

m

[Natalia_20-12]

Hi @mqwadrat I am from Ukraine but live in Poland.

My country people called Ukraine, Ukrania, Ukraina, Ukrajina,Ukrayna and the like)))

[TorM]

Yes, @mqwadrat . I did know the meaning of course 😉

Anyway I love the "Country of the fields" and I'm able to talk with them 🙂

[TheEagleEye]

Hi @mqwadrat @Natalia_20-12 @TorM , I'm from New Zealand and currently live in Czech Republic, where it is New Zealand pronounced Nový Zéland.

Czech Republic is the English version the Czechs pronounce it Česká republika.

[TorM]

Oh, @TheEagleEye , have you ever visited Neuseeland than 😉

[TheEagleEye]

Thanks @TorM , so that's how it is in Polish I'm guessing. I'll be back there for 10 days in a couple of weeks to visit family.

[TorM]

No, in German.... 

In polish it is Nowa Zelandia...