小日本

Chinese

		small; tiny; few small; tiny; few; young	the sun's origin; where the sun originates
simp. and trad. (小日本)		小	日本
Literally: “little Japan or small Japan”.

Etymology

Popularised during the Japanese occupation of China in World War II.

The slur either referred to the shorter height of Japanese people, the smaller landmass of the Japanese archipelago, or simply to mock the Japanese Empire.

Pronunciation

Mandarin
(Pinyin): xiǎorìběn

(Zhuyin): ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖˋ ㄅㄣˇ
Cantonese (Jyutping): siu² jat⁶ bun²

Mandarin
- (Standard Chinese)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiǎorìběn
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖˋ ㄅㄣˇ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siǎorìhběn
  - Wade–Giles: hsiao³-jih⁴-pên³
  - Yale: syǎu-r̀-běn
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sheauryhbeen
  - Palladius: сяожибэнь (sjaožibɛnʹ)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐ̩⁵¹ pən²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
- (Standard Chinese, erhua-ed) (小日本兒 / 小日本儿)⁺
  - Hanyu Pinyin: xiǎorìběnr
  - Zhuyin: ㄒㄧㄠˇ ㄖˋ ㄅㄣˇㄦ
  - Tongyong Pinyin: siǎorìhběnr
  - Wade–Giles: hsiao³-jih⁴-pên³-ʼrh
  - Yale: syǎu-r̀-běnr
  - Gwoyeu Romatzyh: sheauryhbeel
  - Palladius: сяожибэньр (sjaožibɛnʹr)
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /ɕi̯ɑʊ̯²¹⁴⁻²¹ ʐ̩⁵¹ pəɻ²¹⁴⁻²¹⁽⁴⁾/
Cantonese
- (Standard Cantonese, Guangzhou–Hong Kong)⁺
  - Jyutping: siu² jat⁶ bun²
  - Yale: síu yaht bún
  - Cantonese Pinyin: siu² jat⁹ bun²
  - Guangdong Romanization: xiu² yed⁶ bun²
  - Sinological IPA ^(key): /siːu̯³⁵ jɐt̚² puːn³⁵/

Noun

小日本

(derogatory, ethnic slur) the Japanese, a Jap