noun
Dated term for China, now often considered offensive, especially when written in kanji. Post-WWII, 中国 is the standard neutral term.
See also: 中国
戦前の地図には「シナ」と書かれていることがある。
Pre-war maps sometimes have 'Shina' written on them.
「支那そば
The dish name 'Shina soba' is still used in some places today.
The standard, neutral modern term for China. シナ is dated and potentially offensive.
From Chinese 支那 (Zhīnà), itself a transliteration of Sanskrit चीन (Cīna). The term was historically neutral in Japanese but became pejorative after WWII.