日本
Chinese
day; sun; date; day of the month; Japan (abbrev.) |
origin | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| simp. and trad. (日本) |
日 | 本 | |
| anagram | 本日 | ||
| Literally: “the sun's origin; where the sun originates”. | |||
Etymology
This appellation comes from Imperial correspondence between the Chinese Sui Dynasty and Japan, and refers to the eastward position of Japan relative to China.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
日本
Synonyms
Derived terms
Descendants
Others (incomplete list):
See also
Japanese
Etymology 1
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 日 | 本 |
| にち > に Grade: 1 |
ほん Grade: 1 |
| Irregular | |
/nitipoɴ/ → /nippoɴ/ → /niɸoɴ/ → /nihoɴ/
Coined in Japan of Sinic elements, as compound of 日 (nichi, “sun”) + 本 (hon, “origin”) and literally meaning "origin of the sun". The hon element was apparently pronounced /poɴ/ when first coined. Over time, the initial /p/ lenited, becoming /f/ as shown in the Nifon entry in the 1603 Nippo Jisho ("Japanese-Portuguese Dictionary").[1] This then became the /h/ sound in modern Japanese.[2][3]
In older texts, this was read as kun'yomi as hi no moto. The on'yomi readings nippon and nihon became more common in the Heian period, with both persisting into modern use.[3] The nihon reading appears to be the most common in everyday Japanese usage.[4]
Pronunciation
Proper noun
日本 (hiragana にほん, rōmaji Nihon)
- Japan
- 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 463)
- Nifon ニホン (日本) 日本.
- 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 463)
Derived terms
Etymology 2
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 日 | 本 |
| にち > にっ Grade: 1 |
ほん > ぽん Grade: 1 |
| on’yomi | |
/nitipoɴ/ → /nippoɴ/
Phonetic variant of Nihon above, maintaining the /p/ sound.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
日本 (hiragana にっぽん, rōmaji Nippon)
- Japan
- 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 466)
- Nippon ニッポン(日本) Fino moto. (日の本) 日本.
- 1984 October 20 [Jan 15 1983], Murakami, Motoka, “日本一さなるの巻 [Becoming Japan’s Number One]”, in 六三四の剣 [Musashi’s Sword], volume 8 (fiction, in Japanese), 7th edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, pages 39–40:
- 先生! オラがんばるぞー‼だれよりもいっしょうけんめい稽古さして……!日本一さなります‼
- Sensei! Ora ganbaru zō‼ Dare yori mo isshō kenmei keiko sashite……! Nippon’ichi sa narimasu‼
- Sensei! Ah will do it‼ Ah will train harder than anyone else……!Ah will become Japan’s number one‼
- 先生! オラがんばるぞー‼だれよりもいっしょうけんめい稽古さして……!日本一さなります‼
- 1998 November 30 [Nov 25 1990], Fujiko F. Fujio, のび太とアニマル惑星 [Nobita and the Animal Planet] (大長編ドラえもん; 10), volume 10 (fiction, in Japanese), 22nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 27:
- ぼくらは日本からきたんだけど…。
- Bokura wa Nippon kara kitan dakedo….
- We’re from Japan, by the way….
- Nippon? Kiita koto nai.
- Japan? I’ve never heard of that before.
- ぼくらは日本からきたんだけど…。
- 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 466)
Derived terms
- 日本銀行 (nihonginkō)
Etymology 3
| Kanji in this term | |
|---|---|
| 日 | 本 |
| じつ > じっ Grade: 1 |
ほん > ぽん Grade: 1 |
| on’yomi | |
/zitpon/ > /zippon/ > /d͡ʑippon/
/zit͡ɕi, zit͡su/ are the kan'on readings of 日, as compared to the goon reading /nit͡ɕi/.
Pronunciation
Proper noun
日本 (hiragana じっぽん, rōmaji Jippon)
- (archaic) Japan
- 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 365)
- Iippon ジッポン (日本) Fino moto. (日の本) 東洋. すなわち、日本.
- (The quoted ii in iippon is the 16th century Portuguese romanization representing [ji].)
- 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 365)
Synonyms
See also
References
- ↑ Doi, Tadao (1603–1604) Hōyaku Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, published 1980, →ISBN.
- ↑ 1988, 国語大辞典(新装版) (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
- 1 2 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
- ↑ 2012, ニホンVSニッポン 「日本」の読み方、どっちが優勢?, The Nikkei
- 1 2 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
- 1 2 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
Korean
| Hanja in this term | |
|---|---|
| 日 | 本 |
Proper noun
日本 • (Ilbon) (hangeul 일본)
Vietnamese
| Hán tự in this word | |
|---|---|
| 日 | 本 |
Proper noun
日本