Sri Lanka was originally known by the Sanskrit name Sinhala, meaning "lion people," which is the origin of the name of the main ethnic group, the Sinhalese.
「斯里蘭卡」，來自梵語古名 Simhalauip，意思是馴獅人，中國古代稱她為「獅子國」、明代則稱作「錫蘭」。