Zh-CN is a country code.

Understanding Zh-CN as a Language-Region Code

Overview

Zh-CN is not an official country code but rather a language-region identifier commonly used in computing and software localization. It combines the language code for Chinese (“zh”) with the region code for China (“CN”), signifying Simplified Chinese as used in Mainland China.

Explanation of Components

“zh”: This is the ISO 639-1 code for the Chinese language.
“CN”: This represents China using the ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 region code.

Together, zh-CN specifies Simplified Chinese tailored for Mainland China, considering regional conventions in areas like date formats and currency.

Applications

Zh-CN is widely used in:
– HTTP Headers: For setting language preferences.
– HTML Meta Tags: To indicate the document’s language.
– Locale Settings: In software to ensure proper regional formatting.

Importance

Understanding zh-CN helps avoid confusion between country codes and locale identifiers, crucial for accurate localization and internationalization in software development.

By recognizing zh-CN as a language-region identifier, developers can correctly implement regional settings, enhancing user experience through appropriate content tailoring.