.cn
Introduced28 November 1990[1]
TLD typeCountry code top-level domain
StatusActive
RegistryChina Internet Network Information Center
SponsorChinese Academy of Sciences
Intended useEntities connected with China
Actual useVery popular in mainland China[2]
Registered domains19,562,007 (2024-08-29)[3]
StructureNames can be registered either at the second level, or at the third level under the generic or provincial-level administrative divisions second-level domains
DocumentsChina Internet Domain Name Regulations
Dispute policiesChina ccTLD Dispute Resolution Policy and China ccTLD Dispute Resolution Policy Rules
Registry websitecnnic.cn

.cn is the country code top-level domain (ccTLD) for the People's Republic of China. Introduced on 28 November 1990, the domain is administered by China Internet Network Information Center, a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. The domain is the largest ccTLD in the world.[4]

The Chinese script internationalized country codes are ".中国" ("China" in Simplified Chinese) and ".中國" ("China" in Traditional Chinese). Entities connected to Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan typically use .hk, .mo, and .tw, respectively,[5] despite the availability of corresponding second-level domains under .cn for those regions.

Second-level domains

Domain names can be registered either at the second level, or at the third level under the generic or provincial-level administrative divisions second-level domains.

Generic second-level domains

According to the "China Internet Domain Name System" published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, there are 9 generic second-level domains, two of which are internationalized:[6]

Open registration

Registration restricted

Provincial-level administrative divisions second-level domains

The two-letter abbreviations correlate with ISO 3166-2 "Codes for the representation of names of countries and their subdivisions—Part 2: Country subdivision code" (adapted locally as National Standard GB/T 2659.2).[7] The provincial-level administrative divisions second-level domains are with the open-registration policy. According to the "China Internet Domain Name System"[6] published by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, there are 34 administrative division second-level domains:

Internationalized domains

Internationalized domain names with Chinese characters may be registered at the second level under the .cn top-level domain.

On 25 June 2010, ICANN approved the use of the internationalized country code top-level domains ".中国" (China in simplified Chinese characters, DNS name xn--fiqs8s) and ".中國" (China in traditional Chinese characters, DNS name xn--fiqz9s) by CNNIC.[8] These two TLDs were added to the DNS in July 2010.

CNNIC proposed around this time Chinese domain names in ".公司" (".com" in Chinese) and ".网络" (".net" in Chinese). However, these have not been recognized by ICANN yet and are only available via domestic domain name registrars.

Around 15 other generic domain names with Chinese characters have later been registered. See List of Internet top-level domains#Chinese characters.

See also

References

  1. "The Internet Timeline of China 1986~2003". China Internet Network Information Center.
  2. DENIC (July 2017). "Comparison of international Domain Numbers Top 10 largest TLDs list". Archived from the original on 7 July 2017.
  3. "The 54th Statistical Report on China's Internet Development" (PDF). China Internet Network Information Center. 29 August 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 6 September 2024.
  4. "Leading ccTLDs by number of domains 2023". Statista.
  5. "Country domains: a comprehensive ccTLD list". IONOS Digital Guide. 16 September 2020.
  6. 中国互联网域名体系. 工业和信息化部域名行业管理信息公示.
  7. 曾建勋; 刘春燕; 赵琪; 李学军 (30 December 2022). 世界各国和地区及其行政区划名称代码 第 2 部分：行政区划代码. 全国标准信息公共服务平台.
  8. "Adopted Board Resolutions". Brussels: ICANN. 25 June 2010.