Japan
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
First attested in English as Giapan in Richard Willes's 1577 The History of Travayle in the West and East Indies (cited in Peter C. Mancall's Travel Narratives from the Age of Discovery, pp. 156–57), translating a 19 February 1565 letter of the Portuguese Jesuit missionary Luís Fróis as "Of the Ilande of Giapan".
Borrowed from Portuguese Japão / Japam with possible influence from Dutch Japan, both from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, “sun origin”). With /j/ readings, such as Iaponia / Japonia or Japon / Iapon from possibly Cantonese 日本 (jat6 bun2), also from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, “sun origin”).
Compare also modern Mandarin 日本 (Rìběn), Japanese 日本 (Nippon) / 日本 (Nihon) (whence English doublets Nippon and Nihon), Korean 일본 (Ilbon) (日本), Vietnamese Nhật Bản (日本).
The earliest form of Japan in Europe was Marco Polo's Cipangu, from some form of synonymous Sinitic 日本國 / 日本国 (“Japan state”).
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Japan
- A country and archipelago of East Asia.
- Synonyms: Jap., Jpn., Land of the Rising Sun, Japonia, Nihon, Nippon, Yamato, State of Japan
- 1889 Jan., Oscar Wilde, The Decay of Lying: An Observation", The Nineteenth Century:
- Vivian: If you set a picture by Hokusai, or Hokkei, or any of the great native painters, beside a real Japanese gentleman or lady, you will see that there is not the slightest resemblance between them. The actual people who live in Japan are not unlike the general run of English people; that is to say, they are extremely commonplace, and have nothing curious or extraordinary about them. In fact the whole of Japan is a pure invention. There is no such country, there are no such people... if you desire to see a Japanese effect, you will not behave like a tourist and go to Tokio. On the contrary, you will stay at home and steep yourself in the work of certain Japanese artists, and then, when you have absorbed the spirit of their style, and caught their imaginative manner of vision, you will go some afternoon and sit in the Park or stroll down Piccadilly, and if you cannot see an absolutely Japanese effect there, you will not see it anywhere.
- 1985 February, Steve Jobs, interview with David Sheff, Playboy:
- Japan’s very interesting. Some people think it copies things. I don’t think that anymore. I think what they do is reinvent things. They will get something that’s already been invented and study it until they thoroughly understand it. In some cases, they understand it better than the original inventor... That strategy works only when what they’re working with isn’t changing very much—the stereo industry and the automobile industry are two examples. When the target is moving quickly, they find it very difficult...
- 2008 November 21, Graham Linehan, The IT Crowd, Season 3, Episode 1:
- Nolan: You do know Japan have expressed concern?
Douglas: What, the whole country?
Nolan: No, not the whole... Mr Yamamoto.
Douglas: He's important, isn't he?
Nolan: He's the major shareholder.
- Nolan: You do know Japan have expressed concern?
- 2023 May 18, Reuters, “Chipmakers look to Japan as worries about China grow”, in CNN Business[1]:
- In particular, Kumamoto prefecture in southwestern Japan is quickly becoming a hotbed for tech investment from companies including TSMC and Fujifilm Holdings Corp (FUJIF).
Derived terms
Descendants
- > Tok Pisin: Siapan (inherited)
- → Bengali: জাপান (japan)
- → Burmese: ဂျပန် (gya.pan)
- → Gujarati: જાપાન (jāpān)
- → Hindustani:
- → Irish: Seapáin
- → Japanese: ジャパン (Japan)
- → Marathi: जपान (japān)
- → Marshallese: Jepaan
- → Persian:
- Dari: جَاپَان (jāpān)
- ⇒ Samoan: Iapani
- → Tamil: ஜப்பான் (jappāṉ)
- → Telugu: జపాను (japānu)
- → Welsh: Japan
- → Welsh: Siapan
- → Yoruba: Jèpáànì
Translations
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See also
- 🗾
- Appendix:Countries of the world
- Afghanistan
- Armenia
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Cambodia
- China
- Cyprus
- East Timor
- Georgia
- India
- Indonesia
- Iran
- Iraq
- Israel
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kazakhstan
- Kuwait
- Kyrgyzstan
- Laos
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- North Korea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Palestine
- Philippines
- Qatar
- Russia
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Sri Lanka
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajikistan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- Turkmenistan
- United Arab Emirates
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Yemen
- Aichi
- Akita
- Aomori
- Chiba
- Ehime
- Fukui
- Fukuoka
- Fukushima
- Gifu
- Gunma
- Hiroshima
- Hokkaidō
- Hyōgo
- Ibaraki
- Ishikawa
- Iwate
- Kagawa
- Kagoshima
- Kanagawa
- Kōchi
- Kumamoto
- Kyoto
- Mie
- Miyagi
- Miyazaki
- Nagano
- Nagasaki
- Nara
- Niigata
- Ōita
- Okayama
- Okinawa
- Osaka
- Saga
- Saitama
- Shiga
- Shimane
- Shizuoka
- Tochigi
- Tokushima
- Tokyo
- Tottori
- Toyama
- Wakayama
- Yamagata
- Yamaguchi
- Yamanashi
Further reading
- Japan on Wikipedia.Wikipedia
- Japan on Wikiquote.Wikiquote
- Japan on Wikivoyage.Wikivoyage
- Category:Japan on Wikimedia Commons.Wikimedia Commons
Afrikaans
Etymology
Inherited from Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Pronunciation
Audio: (file)
Proper noun
Japan
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia; capital: Tokio)
Derived terms
Danish
Etymology
From Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Proper noun
Japan
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Related terms
Descendants
Dutch
Etymology
From Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /jaːˈpɑn/
Audio: (file) - Hyphenation: Ja‧pan
- Rhymes: -ɑn
Proper noun
Japan n
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Derived terms
Descendants
- > Afrikaans: Japan (inherited)
- → Arabic: اليابان (al-yābān)
- → Danish: Japan
- ⇒ English: Japan, Giapan (obsolete), Japonia (obsolete), Japon (obsolete)
- > Tok Pisin: Siapan (inherited)
- → Bengali: জাপান (japan)
- → Burmese: ဂျပန် (gya.pan)
- → Gujarati: જાપાન (jāpān)
- → Hindustani:
- → Irish: Seapáin
- → Japanese: ジャパン (Japan)
- → Marathi: जपान (japān)
- → Marshallese: Jepaan
- → Persian:
- Dari: جَاپَان (jāpān)
- ⇒ Samoan: Iapani
- → Tamil: ஜப்பான் (jappāṉ)
- → Telugu: జపాను (japānu)
- → Welsh: Japan
- → Welsh: Siapan
- → Yoruba: Jèpáànì
- → German: Japan
- → Swedish: Japan
- → West Frisian: Japan
Faroese
Etymology
From Danish Japan, from Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈjaːpan/
Proper noun
Japan
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Related terms
German
Etymology
From Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈjaːpan/
Audio: (file) Audio: (file)
Proper noun
Japan n (proper noun, genitive Japans or (optionally with an article) Japan)
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
- Synonym: Land der aufgehenden Sonne
Descendants
- → Estonian: Jaapan
- → Finnish: Japani
- → Hungarian: Japán
- → Ladin: Iapan
- → Latvian: Japāna
- → Norwegian: Japan
- → Serbo-Croatian:
- → Yiddish: יאַפּאַן (yapan)
- → Hebrew: יפן (yapan)
See also
Further reading
- “Japan” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
- “Japan” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon
- “Japan” in Duden online
- Japan on the German Wikipedia.Wikipedia de
Hausa
Etymology
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Jàpân f
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Icelandic
Etymology
Borrowed from Danish Japan, from Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈjaːpʰan/
Proper noun
Japan n (proper noun, genitive singular Japan or (rare) Japans)
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Declension
indefinite singular | |
---|---|
nominative | Japan |
accusative | Japan |
dative | Japan |
genitive | Japan, Japans1 |
1Rare.
See also
Japanese
Romanization
Japan
Norwegian Bokmål
Etymology
From German Japan, from Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Proper noun
Japan
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Related terms
Norwegian Nynorsk
Etymology
From German Japan, from Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Proper noun
Japan
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Related terms
Serbo-Croatian
Etymology
From German Japan, from Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /jǎpaːn/
- Hyphenation: Ja‧pan
Proper noun
Jàpān m inan (Cyrillic spelling Ја̀па̄н)
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Declension
singular | |
---|---|
nominative | Japan |
genitive | Japana |
dative | Japanu |
accusative | Japan |
vocative | Japane |
locative | Japanu |
instrumental | Japanom |
Swahili
Pronunciation
Audio (Kenya): (file)
Proper noun
Japan
- alternative form of Japani
Swedish
Etymology
From Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /¹jɑːpan/
Audio: (file)
Proper noun
Japan n (genitive Japans)
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Related terms
See also
- Afghanistan
- Armenien
- Azerbajdzjan
- Bahrain
- Bangladesh
- Bhutan
- Brunei
- Burma
- Cypern
- Filippinerna
- Förenade arabemiraten
- Georgien
- Indien
- Indonesien
- Irak
- Iran
- Israel
- Japan
- Jemen
- Jordanien
- Kambodja
- Kazakstan
- Kina
- Kirgizistan
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Libanon
- Malaysia
- Maldiverna
- Mongoliet
- Nepal
- Nordkorea
- Oman
- Pakistan
- Qatar
- Ryssland
- Saudiarabien
- Singapore
- Sri Lanka
- Sydkorea
- Syrien
- Tadzjikistan
- Thailand
- Turkiet
- Turkmenistan
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Östtimor
References
Welsh
Alternative forms
Etymology
Proper noun
Japan m (not mutable)
- Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
Coordinate terms
- Affganistan
- Armenia
- Aserbaijan
- Bangladesh
- Bahrain
- Bhwtan
- Brwnei
- Cambodia
- Casachstan
- Catar
- Cirgistan
- Coweit
- Cyprus
- De Corea
- Dwyrain Timor
- Fietnam
- Georgia
- Gogledd Corea
- Gwlad Tai
- Gwlad yr Iorddonen
- Iemen
- India
- Indonesia
- Irac
- Iran
- Israel
- Japan
- Laos
- Libanus
- Maldives
- Maleisia
- Mongolia
- Myanmar
- Nepal
- Oman
- Pacistan
- Palesteina
- Rwsia
- Sawdi Arabia
- Singapôr
- Sri Lanca
- Syria
- Taiwan
- Tajicistan
- Tsieina
- Twrci
- Tyrcmenistan
- Wsbecistan
- y Philipinau
- yr Emiradau Arabaidd Unedig
Related terms
- Japanead (“Japanese”, noun)
- Japaneaidd (“Japanese”, adjective)
Related terms
- bras melyn Japan (“Japanese yellowhammer”)
- clymog Japan (“Japanese knotweed”)
- Japanead (“Japanese person”)
- Japaneaidd (“Japanese”, adjective)
- tewbig Japan (“Japanese hawfinch”)