Etymology

Phono-semantic matching of German Deutsch ‎(“German”).

The tendency to use commendatory characters in country names was also seen in:

• 美國／美国 (Měiguó, “America; lit. pretty country”),
• 英國／英国 (Yīngguó, “England; lit. flower/outstanding country”) and
• 法國／法国 (Fǎguó, “France, lit. the law country”).

Pronunciation