Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective

Japan

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary

Remove ads
See also: Japán, japan, and japán

English

English Wikipedia has an article on:
Wikipedia

Alternative forms

Etymology

Etymology tree
Hokkien 日本 / Ji̍t-púnbor.
Malay Jepangbor.
Portuguese Japãobor.
▲
Malay Jepangbor.
Dutch Japanbor.
English Japan

    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 Japam / Japão 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 / 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(にっぽ​ん) (Nippo​n) / 日本(にほ​ん) (Niho​n) (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

    • IPA(key): /d͡ʒəˈpæn/
    • Audio (US):(file)
    • Audio (UK):(file)
    • Rhymes: -æn

    Proper noun

    Japan

    2. A country and archipelago of East Asia. Capital and largest city: Tokyo.
      Synonyms: Dawnland, JP, JPN, Jap., Japonia, Jpn., Land of the Rising Sun, Nihon, (puristic) Nippon, State of Japan, Yamato
      • 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.
      • 2023 May 18, Reuters, “Chipmakers look to Japan as worries about China grow”, in CNN Business‎:
        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

    Translations

    See also

    countries in Asia (appendix)edit
    prefectures of Japanedit

    Further reading

    Remove ads

    Afrikaans

    Afrikaans Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia af

    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

    Proper noun

    Japan

    1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia; capital: Tokio)

    Derived terms

    Cornish

    Cornish Wikipedia has an article on:
    Wikipedia kw

    Etymology

    Etymology tree
    Hokkien 日本 / Ji̍t-púnbor.
    Malay Jepangbor.
    Portuguese Japãobor.
    ▲
    Malay Jepangbor.
    Dutch Japanbor.
    English Japanbor.
    Cornish Japan

      Borrowed from English Japan, from Portuguese Japão or Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本.

      Pronunciation

      Proper noun

      Japan

      1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
        Synonym: Nihon

      Coordinate terms

      countries in Asia: powyow Asi (appendix)edit
      • derow Japan (“daimio oaks”)
      • ethbys Japan (“fatsi”)
      • japanek (“Japanese”, adjective)
      • Japanek (“Japanese language”)
      • kereswydh Japan (“Japanese cherry trees”)
      • keuspren Japan (“Japanese cheesewood”)
      • klethra Japan (“Japanese clethra”)
      • larwydh Japan (“Japanese larches”)
      • mahonya Japan (“mahonia”)
      • pinbren gwynn Japan (“Japanese white pine”)

      Danish

      Danish Wikipedia has an article on:
      Wikipedia da

      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

      1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

      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

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

        Derived terms

        Descendants

        Descendants
        Remove ads

        Faroese

        Faroese Wikipedia has an article on:
        Wikipedia fo

        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

        Proper noun

        Japan

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

        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

        Proper noun

        Japan n (proper noun, genitive Japans or (optionally with an article) Japan)

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
          Synonym: Land der aufgehenden Sonne

        Descendants

        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
        Remove ads

        Hausa

        Etymology

        From English Japan.

        Pronunciation

        • IPA(key): /(d)ʒà.pân/
          • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA(key): [d͡ʒə̀.pâŋ]

        Proper noun

        Jàpân f

        1. 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

        Proper noun

        Japan n (proper noun, genitive singular Japan or (rare) Japans)

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)
          Ég fer til Japans.
          I'm going to Japan.
          Hvar er Japan staðsett á kortinu?
          Where is Japan located on the map?

        Declension

        More information indefinite singular, nominative ...

        1Rare.

        See also

        Japanese

        Romanization

        Japan

        1. Rōmaji transcription of ジャパン

        Norwegian Bokmål

        Norwegian Wikipedia has an article on:
        Wikipedia no

        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

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

        Norwegian Nynorsk

        Norwegian Nynorsk Wikipedia has an article on:
        Wikipedia nn

        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

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

        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)

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

        Declension

        Declension of Japan
        More information singular, nominative ...

        Swahili

        Pronunciation

        Proper noun

        Japan

        1. alternative form of Japani

        Swedish

        Swedish Wikipedia has an article on:
        Wikipedia sv

        Etymology

        From Dutch Japan, from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本 (Ji̍t-pún), from Middle Chinese 日本 (nyit pwonX, literally “sun origin”).

        Pronunciation

        Proper noun

        Japan n (genitive Japans)

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

        See also

        countries in Asia: Asiens länder (appendix)edit

        References

        Welsh

        Welsh Wikipedia has an article on:
        Wikipedia cy

        Alternative forms

        Etymology

        Borrowed from English Japan.

        Proper noun

        Japan m (not mutable)

        1. Japan (a country and archipelago of East Asia)

        Coordinate terms

        countries in Asia: gwledydd Asia (appendix)edit

        Wikiwand - on

        Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.

        Remove ads
        Remove ads