[2] The name Dzhankoi (Ukrainian and Russian: Джанкой; German: Dshankoj;[3] Crimean Tatar: Canköy; Yiddish: דזשאַנקויע) means 'new village': canköy < cañı köy (cañı is 'new' in the northern dialect of Crimean Tatar), but it is often explained as meaning 'spirit-village' (< can 'spirit' + köy 'village').

The city has various industries, which produce automobiles, reinforced concrete, fabric, meat, and other products.

During the occupation, 720 Jewish members of the local collective farm were shot in the city.

On the night of March 20, 2023, explosions caused by drone attacks were reported in the area.

The town is also home to smaller Belarusian, Polish, Moldovan and Armenian communities.

Zhankoye" (Yiddish: "Dzhankoye" "דזשאַנקויע"), as popularized by The Limeliters, Pete Seeger, the Klezmatics, and Theodore Bikel, a Soviet-era song praising the life of Jews on collective farms in Crimea.