The Meaning of the Name "Guangzhou"
The name "Guangzhou" consists of two Chinese syllables: "Guang," meaning "wide/vast," and "zhou," meaning "region/prefecture"; together meaning "the vast region."
The Old Western Name "Canton"
Westerners knew the city for centuries as "Canton," a Portuguese-derived corruption of the province's name, "Guangdong."
"Khanfu".. the Ancient Arabic Name Used by Muslim Geographers
The ancient Arabs had their own name for the city: "Khanfu," an Arabization of an old Chinese pronunciation. The name appears in "Al-Masalik wa'l-Mamalik" by Ibn Khordadbeh, and "Akhbar al-Sin wa'l-Hind" by Abu Zayd al-Sirafi.
Popular Nicknames: "City of the Five Rams"
Guangzhou's residents give their city the popular nickname "City of the Five Rams," referencing an ancient Chinese legend about five deities who descended riding rams carrying stalks of rice.