These terms describe the difference between how a group identifies itself versus how outsiders identify them. You can think of them as the “inside name” versus the “outside name.”
Endonym (The “Inside” Name)
An endonym is the name used by a specific group of people to refer to their own place, language, or themselves. It comes from the Greek words endo- (within) and -onyma (name).
- Place: The people who live in Germany call their country Deutschland.
- Language: Native speakers of Spanish call their language Español (or Castellano).
- People: The indigenous people of the Arctic refer to themselves as the Inuit.
Exonym (The “Outside” Name)
An exonym is the name given to a place, language, or group of people by outsiders. It comes from the Greek words exo- (outside) and -onyma (name). Exonyms often develop because the native word is difficult for outsiders to pronounce, or due to historical trade, mapping, or colonial encounters.
- Place: Germany is the English exonym for Deutschland. (In French, the exonym is Allemagne).
- Language: Spanish is the English exonym for Español.
- People: Eskimo is an exonym applied by outsiders (and is widely considered outdated or offensive).
Tying It Together
To bring it back to your first question:
- Bangla is the endonym. It is the name originating from within the culture itself.
- Bengali is the exonym. It is the anglicized word created and used by outsiders to describe the language.
Many places around the world have been officially dropping their colonial-era exonyms in favor of their original endonyms (for example, switching from Bombay to Mumbai, or from Turkey to Türkiye).
Here are a few more examples broken down by categories.
Countries
Country names are the most common places you will see this split. Often, ancient traders or conquerors gave a region a name that stuck in foreign languages, completely independent of what the locals called it.
| Exonym (English name) | Endonym (Native name) |
| Japan | Nippon or Nihon |
| Greece | Hellas or Elláda |
| China | Zhōngguó |
| Finland | Suomi |
| Egypt | Misr |
| India | Bharat |
Cities
European cities often have different names in English, French, and German simply because they have been neighbors for so long and naturally adapted the pronunciations to their own languages.
| Exonym (English name) | Endonym (Native name) |
| Florence (Italy) | Firenze |
| Moscow (Russia) | Moskva |
| Munich (Germany) | München |
| Lisbon (Portugal) | Lisboa |
| Bangkok (Thailand) | Krung Thep Maha Nakhon |
Languages and People
Sometimes the exonym comes from a neighboring tribe or a descriptive word used by outsiders, rather than the group’s actual name for themselves.
| Exonym (Outside name) | Endonym (Inside name) |
| Welsh (Language) | Cymraeg |
| Korean (Language) | Hangugo |
| Navajo (People) | Diné |
| Armenian (Language) | Hayeren |
Key insight: You might notice that exonyms are heavily influenced by who is speaking. For example, the English exonym for München is Munich, but the Italian exonym for the exact same city is Monaco di Baviera.