Names of Japan#History

{{Further|Wa (name of Japan)}}

File:FramauroJava.jpg, the first known Western depiction of the island]]

Both Nippon and Nihon literally mean "the sun's origin", that is, where the sun originates,Nussbaum, Louis Frédéric et al. (2005). "Nihon" in {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|Japan encyclopedia, p. 707.|page=707}}; n.b., Louis-Frédéric is pseudonym of Louis-Frédéric Nussbaum, see [http://dispatch.opac.ddb.de/DB=4.1/PPN?PPN=128842709 Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Authority File] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120524174828/http://dispatch.opac.ddb.de/DB=4.1/PPN?PPN=128842709 |date=2012-05-24 }}. and are often translated as the Land of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes from Imperial correspondence with the Chinese Sui dynasty and refers to Japan's eastern position relative to China. Before Nihon came into official use, Japan was known as {{nihongo||倭|Wa}} or {{nihongo||倭国|Wakoku}}.{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BruaJSZmjHcC&q=nihon+wa+wagoku&pg=PA143|title=The emergence of Japanese kingship|author1-link=Joan R. Piggott|first=Joan R.|last=Piggott|year=1997|publisher=Stanford University Press|isbn=0-8047-2832-1|pages=143–144}} Wa was a name early China used to refer to an ethnic group living in Japan around the time of the Three Kingdoms period.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}}

Although the etymological origins of "Wa" remain uncertain, Chinese historical texts recorded an ancient people residing in the Japanese archipelago (perhaps Kyūshū), named something like *ˀWâ or *ˀWər {{lang|zh|倭}}. Carr (1992:9–10) surveys prevalent proposals for Wa's etymology ranging from feasible (transcribing Japanese first-person pronouns waga {{lang|ja|我が}} "my; our" and ware {{lang|ja|我}} "I; oneself; thou") to shameful (writing Japanese Wa as {{lang|zh|倭}} implying "dwarf"), and summarizes interpretations for *ˀWâ "Japanese" into variations on two etymologies: "behaviorally 'submissive' or physically 'short'." The first "submissive; obedient" explanation began with the (121 CE) Shuowen Jiezi dictionary. It defines {{lang|zh|倭}} as shùnmào {{lang|zh|順皃}} "obedient/submissive/docile appearance", graphically explains the "person; human" radical {{lang|zh|亻}} with a wěi {{lang|zh|委}} "bent" phonetic, and quotes the above Shijing poem{{clarify|date=January 2025}}. "Conceivably, when Chinese first met Japanese," Carr (1992:9) suggests "they transcribed Wa as *ˀWâ 'bent back' signifying 'compliant' bowing/obeisance. Bowing is noted in early historical references to Japan." Examples include "Respect is shown by squatting" (Hou Han Shu, tr. Tsunoda 1951:2), and "they either squat or kneel, with both hands on the ground. This is the way they show respect." (Wei Zhi, tr. Tsunoda 1951:13). Koji Nakayama interprets wēi {{lang|zh|逶}} "winding" as "very far away" and euphemistically translates Wō {{lang|zh|倭}} as "separated from the continent." The second etymology of wō {{lang|zh|倭}} meaning "dwarf, pygmy" has possible cognates in ǎi {{lang|zh|矮}} "low, short (of stature)", wō {{lang|zh|踒}} "strain; sprain; bent legs", and wò {{lang|zh|臥}} "lie down; crouch; sit (animals and birds)". Early Chinese dynastic histories refer to a Zhūrúguó {{lang|zh|侏儒國}} "pygmy/dwarf country" located south of Japan, associated with possibly Okinawa Island or the Ryukyu Islands. Carr cites the historical precedence of construing Wa as "submissive people" and the "Country of Dwarfs" legend as evidence that the "little people" etymology was a secondary development.{{r|"carr"|page=9}}

Chinese, Korean, and Japanese scribes regularly wrote Wa or Yamato "Japan" with the Chinese character {{lang|zh|倭}} until the 8th century, when the Japanese found fault with it due to its offensive connotation, replacing it with {{lang|zh|和}} "harmony, peace, balance". Retroactively, this character was adopted in Japan to refer to the country itself, often combined with the character {{lang|zh|大}} (literally meaning "Great"), so as to write the name as Yamato ({{lang|zh|大和}}) (Great Wa, in a manner similar to e.g. {{lang|zh|大清帝國}} Great Qing Empire, {{lang|zh|大英帝國}} Empire of Great Britain). However, the pronunciation Yamato cannot be formed from the sounds of its constituent characters; it refers to a place in Japan and, based on the specific spellings used in ancient documents (see also Man'yōgana and Old Japanese#Vowels), this may have originally meant {{nihongo|"Mountain Place"|山処}}.2006, {{lang|ja|大辞林}} (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, {{ISBN|4-385-13905-9}}1995, {{lang|ja|大辞泉}} (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, {{ISBN|4-09-501211-0}}; {{nihongo||大和・倭|Yamato}} entry available online [https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C-92316#E3.83.87.E3.82.B8.E3.82.BF.E3.83.AB.E5.A4.A7.E8.BE.9E.E6.B3.89 here], {{nihongo||大処|yamato}} entry available online [https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%B1%B1%E5%87%A6-649402 here]1988, {{lang|ja|国語大辞典（新装版）}} (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, {{nihongo||大和・倭|Yamato}} entry available online [https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%A4%A7%E5%92%8C%E3%83%BB%E5%80%AD-401344 here], {{nihongo||山と|yamato}} entry available online [https://kotobank.jp/word/%E5%B1%B1%E3%81%A8-401346 here] Such words which use certain kanji to name a certain Japanese word solely for the purpose of representing the word's meaning regardless of the given kanji's on'yomi or kun'yomi, a.k.a. jukujikun, is not uncommon in Japanese. Other original names in Chinese texts include Yamatai country ({{lang|zh|邪馬台国}}), where a Queen Himiko lived. When hi no moto, the indigenous Japanese way of saying "sun's origin", was written in kanji, it was given the characters {{lang|zh|日本}}.{{Citation needed|date=March 2024}} In time, these characters began to be read using Sino-Japanese readings, first Nippon and later Nihon, although the two names are interchangeable to this day.

Nippon appeared in history only at the end of the 7th century. The Old Book of Tang ({{lang|zh|舊唐書}}), one of the Twenty-Four Histories, stated that the Japanese envoy disliked his country's name Woguo (Chinese) ({{lang|zh|倭國}}), and changed it to Nippon ({{lang|zh|日本}}), or "Origin of the Sun". Another 8th-century chronicle, True Meaning of Shiji ({{lang|zh|史記正義}}), however, states that the first female Chinese Emperor Wu Zetian ordered a Japanese envoy to change the country's name to Nippon. It has been suggested that the name change in Japan may have taken place sometime between 665 and 703, and Wu Zetian then acceded to the name change in China following a request from a delegation from Japan in 703.{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=krq5CAAAQBAJ&pg=PA140 |title=The Cultural Dimensions of Sino-Japanese Relations: Essays on the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries |first= Joshua A. |last=Fogel |date=29 April 2015 |page=140 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1317457671 }} The sun plays an important role in Japanese mythology and religion as the emperor is said to be the direct descendant of the sun goddess Amaterasu and the legitimacy of the ruling house rested on this divine appointment and descent from the chief deity of the predominant Shinto religion. The name of the country reflects this central importance of the sun. The association of the country with the sun was indicated in a letter sent in 607 and recorded in the official history of the Sui dynasty. Prince Shōtoku, the Regent of Japan, sent a mission to China with a letter in which he called the emperor of Japan (actually an empress at the time) {{Nihongo|"the Son of Heaven of the Land where the Sun rises"|日出處天子}}. The message said: "The Son of Heaven, on the Land of the Rising Sun, sends this letter to the Son of Heaven of the Land, where the Sun sets, and wishes him well".{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Pd0dDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA9|title=Middle Kingdom and Empire of the Rising Sun: Sino-Japanese Relations, Past and Present|author =June Teufel Dreyer |pages=8–9 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date= 2016 |isbn= 978-0195375664 }}{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qsNoHtgkGPkC&pg=PA46 |title=Interpreters in Early Imperial China |author= Rachel Lung |publisher=John Benjamins Publishing Company |date= 2011|isbn= 978-9027224446 |page=46}} (cites Bielenstein 2005 page 102)

File:Martin Behaim 1492 Ocean Map.png]]

The English word for Japan came to the West from early trade routes. The early Mandarin Chinese or possibly Wu Chinese word for Japan was recorded by Marco Polo as Cipangu.{{cite web |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2008/07/27/general/cipangus-landlocked-isles/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825151317/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2008/07/27/general/cipangus-landlocked-isles |archive-date=August 25, 2018 |title=Cipangu's landlocked isles |date=27 July 2008 |publisher=The Japan Times |access-date=August 25, 2018}} The Malay and Indonesian words Jepang, Jipang, and Jepun were borrowed from non-Mandarin Chinese languages, and this Malay word was encountered by Portuguese traders in Malacca in the 16th century. It is thought the Portuguese traders were the first to bring the word to Europe. It was first recorded in English in 1577 spelled Giapan.[https://archive.org/details/historyoftrauayl00angh The History of trauayle in the VVest and East Indies : and other countreys lying eyther way towardes the fruitfull and ryche Moluccaes. As Moscouia, Persia, Arabia, Syria, Aegypte, Ethiopia, Guinea, China in Cathayo, and Giapan: VVith a discourse of the Northwest passage. In the hande of our Lorde be all the corners of the earth], Richard Jugge, approximately 1514-1577, page 493

In English, the modern official title of the country is simply "Japan", one of the few countries to have no "long form" name. The official Japanese-language name is Nippon-koku or Nihon-koku ({{lang|ja|日本国}}), literally "Nation of Japan".In Japanese, countries whose "long form" does not contain a designation such as republic or kingdom are generally given a name appended by the character {{lang|ja|国}} ("country" or "nation"): for example, {{lang|ja|ドミニカ国}} (Dominica), {{lang|ja|バハマ国}} (Bahamas), and {{lang|ja|クウェート国}} (Kuwait). As an adjective, the term "Dai-Nippon" remains popular with Japanese governmental, commercial, or social organizations whose reach extend beyond Japan's geographic borders (e.g., Dai Nippon Printing, Dai Nippon Butoku Kai, etc.).

Though Nippon or Nihon are still by far the most popular names for Japan from within the country, recently the foreign words Japan and even Jipangu (from Cipangu, see below) have been used in Japanese mostly for the purpose of foreign branding.

Portuguese missionaries arrived in Japan at the end of the 16th century. In the course of learning Japanese, they created several grammars and dictionaries of Middle Japanese. The 1603–1604 dictionary Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam contains two entries for Japan: nifon and iippon.

The title of the dictionary (Vocabulary of the Language of Japan) illustrates that the Portuguese word for Japan was by that time Iapam.

Historically, Japanese {{IPA|/h/}} has undergone a number of phonological changes. Originally *{{IPAblink|p}}, this weakened into {{IPAblink|ɸ}} and eventually became the modern {{IPAblink|h}}. Modern {{IPA|/h/}} is still pronounced {{IPA|[ɸ]}} when followed by {{IPA|/ɯ/}}.

Middle Japanese nifon becomes Modern Japanese nihon via regular phonological changes.{{citation needed|date=October 2020|reason=How is it "regular" for a double p to become f in the first place? The mere existence of Nippon in modern Japanese is proof that this is not "regular".}}

Before modern styles of romanization, the Portuguese devised their own. In it, {{IPA|/zi/}} is written as either ii or ji. In modern Hepburn style, iippon would be rendered as Jippon. There are no historical phonological changes to take into account here.

Etymologically, Jippon is similar to Nippon in that it is an alternative reading of {{lang|ja|日本}}. The initial character {{lang|ja|日}} may also be read as {{IPA|/ziti/}} or {{IPA|/zitu/}}. Compounded with {{IPA|/hoɴ/}} ({{lang|ja|本}}), this regularly becomes Jippon.

Unlike the Nihon/Nippon doublet, there is no evidence for a *Jihon.

The Japanese name for Japan, {{lang|ja|日本}}, can be pronounced either Nihon or Nippon. Both readings come from the on'yomi.

{{lang|ja|日}} (nichi) means "sun" or "day"; {{lang|ja|本}} (hon) means "base" or "origin". The compound means "origin of the sun", or "source of the sun"{{cite web | title=Society: Government | website=Web Japan | url=https://web-japan.org/kidsweb/faq/society01.html#:~:text=This%20is%20why%20the%20Japanese,land%20of%20the%20rising%20sun.%22 | access-date=2024-07-08}} or "where the sun rises" (from a westbound point of view—which includes lands west of the nation, the sun rises from Japan); it is a source for the popular Western description of Japan as the "Land of the Rising Sun".

Nichi, in compounds, often loses the final chi and creates a slight pause between the first and second syllables of the compound. When romanised, this pause is represented by a doubling of the first consonant of the second syllable; thus nichi {{lang|ja|日}} plus kō {{lang|ja|光}} (light) is written and pronounced nikkō, meaning sunlight.

Japanese {{lang|ja|日}} and {{lang|ja|本}} were historically pronounced niti (or jitu, reflecting a Late Middle Chinese pronunciation) and pon, respectively. In compounds, however, final voiceless stops (i.e. p, t, k) of the first word were unreleased in Middle Chinese, and the pronunciation of 日本 was thus Nippon or Jippon (with the adjacent consonants assimilating).

Min Chinese languages still retain this pronunciation of 日本, such as Northern Min Nì-bǒ̤ng (Jian'ou dialect) or Fuzhounese Nĭk-buōng. In modern Toisanese, a Yue Chinese language, 日本 is pronounced as [https://www.stephen-li.com/TaishaneseVocabulary/Misc2/Audio/misc2%20Part%20081%20of%20214.mp3 Ngìp Bāwn] [ŋip˦˨ bɔn˥].{{Cite web|url=https://www.stephen-li.com/TaishaneseVocabulary/Taishanese.html|title=Taishanese Language Home 台山话资源网|website=www.stephen-li.com|access-date=2019-02-24}}

Historical sound change in Japanese has led to the modern pronunciations of the individual characters as nichi and hon. The pronunciation Nihon originated, possibly in the Kantō region, as a reintroduction of this independent pronunciation of {{lang|ja|本}} into the compound. This must have taken place during the Edo period, after another sound change occurred which would have resulted in this form becoming Niwon and later Nion.{{citation needed|date=October 2020}}

Several attempts to choose a definitive official reading were rejected by the Japanese government, which declared both to be correct.[http://www.japantoday.com/smartphone/view/arts-culture/nippon-or-nihon-no-consensus-on-japanese-pronunciation-of-japan Nippon or Nihon? No consensus on Japanese pronunciation of Japan], Japan Today

While both pronunciations are correct, Nippon is frequently preferred for official purposes,Nussbaum, "Nippon" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 709.|page=709}} including money, stamps, and international sporting events, as well as the Nippon-koku, literally the "State of Japan" ({{lang|ja|日本国}}).

Other than this, there seem to be no fixed rules for choosing one pronunciation over the other, but in some cases, one form is simply more common. For example, Japanese-speakers generally call their language Nihongo; Nippongo, while possible,{{cite book | last=Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Henshū Iin Kai, Shōgakukan Kokugo Daijiten Henshūbu | title=Nihon Kokugo Daijiten | publisher=Shōgakukan | date=2002 |orig-year=2000| title-link=Nihon Kokugo Daijiten | edition=2nd}}

is rarely used. In other cases, uses are variable. The name for the Bank of Japan ({{lang|ja|日本銀行}}), for example, is given as NIPPON GINKO on banknotes but is often referred to, such as in the media, as Nihon Ginkō.Nussbaum, "Nihon Ginkō" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 708.|page=708}}

Nippon is the form that is used usually or exclusively in the following constructions:Nussbaum, "Nippon" passim at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|pp. 717.|page=717}}

• Nippon Yūbin, Nippon Yūsei (Japan Post Group)
• Ganbare Nippon! (A sporting cheer used at international sporting events, roughly, 'do your best, Japan!')
• Nipponbashi ({{lang|ja|日本橋}}) (a shopping district in Osaka)
• All Nippon Airways (Zen Nippon Kūyu)
• Nikon (Nippon Kōgaku Kōgyō)
• Nippon Animation
• Nippon Ham
• Nippon Life Insurance
• Nippon Professional Baseball (Nippon Yakyū Kikō)
• Nippon Steel (Nippon Seitetsu)
• Nippon Telegraph and Telephone (Nippon Denshin Denwa)
• Nippon Yusen

Nihon is used always or most often in the following constructions:Nussbaum, "Nihon" passim at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|pp. 707–711.|page=707}}

• JR Higashi-Nihon (East Japan Railway, JR Group)
• Nihonbashi ({{lang|ja|日本橋}}) (a bridge in Tokyo)
• Nihon Daigaku (Nihon University)Nussbaum, "Nihon University (Nihon Daigaku)" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|pp. 710–711.|page=710}}
• Nihon-go (Japanese language)
• Nihon-jin (日本人) (Japanese people)
• Nihon-kai (Sea of Japan)Nussbaum, "Nihonjin" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|pp. 708–709.|page=708}}
• Nihon Kōkū (Japan Airlines)
• Nihon-shoki (an old history book, never Nippon shoki)Nussbaum, "Nihon shoki" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 710.|page=710}}
• Nihonshu (日本酒; meaning 'Japanese wine')
• Zen Nihon Kendō Renmei (全日本剣道連盟, abbreviated 全剣連 Zen Ken Ren), the Japanese Kendo Federation referred in English as All Japan Kendo Federation (AJKF)
• The Nippon TV network is called Nihon Terebi in Japanese.

In 2016, element 113 on the periodic table was named nihonium to honor its discovery in 2004 by Japanese scientists at RIKEN.{{cite web|author=Richard Gonzales |url=http://ww2.kqed.org/science/2016/06/10/hello-nihonium-scientists-name-4-new-elements-on-the-periodic-table/ |title=Hello, Nihonium. Scientists Name 4 New Elements on the Periodic Table |publisher=Ww2.kqed.org |date=2016-06-10 |access-date=2016-07-05}}

File:Map of America by Sebastian Munster.JPG.{{cite book | author = Forbes JD | year = 2007 | title = The American Discovery of Europe | publisher = University of Illinois Press | isbn = 9780252091254 | page = 21 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=09tmdIA6cDoC&pg=PA21}}]]

As mentioned above, the English word Japan has a circuitous derivation; but linguists believe it derives in part from the Portuguese recording of the Early Mandarin Chinese or Wu Chinese word for Japan: Cipan ({{lang|zh|日本}}), which is rendered in pinyin as Rìběn (IPA: ʐʅ˥˩pən˨˩˦), and literally translates to "sun origin". Guó (IPA: kuo˨˦) is Chinese for "realm" or "kingdom", so it could alternatively be rendered as Cipan-guo. The word was likely introduced to Portuguese through the Malay: Jipan.

Cipangu was first mentioned in Europe in the accounts of Marco Polo. It appears for the first time on a European map with the Fra Mauro map in 1457, although it appears much earlier on Chinese and Korean maps such as the Gangnido. Following the accounts of Marco Polo, Cipangu was thought to be fabulously rich in silver and gold, which by Medieval standards was largely correct, owing to the volcanism of the islands and the possibility to access precious ores without resorting to (unavailable) deep-mining technologies.

The modern Shanghainese pronunciation of Japan is Zeppen {{IPA|wuu|zəʔpən|}}. In modern Japanese, Cipangu is transliterated as {{lang|ja|チパング}} which in turn can be transliterated into English as Chipangu, Jipangu, Zipangu, Jipang, or Zipang. Jipangu ({{lang|ja|ジパング}} (Zipangu)) as an obfuscated name for Japan has recently come into vogue for Japanese films, anime, video games, etc.

File:Japan yashima.png

These names show up in historical texts for prehistoric legendary dates and also in names of gods and Japanese emperors:

• Ōyashima ({{lang|ja|大八洲}}) meaning the Great Country of Eight (or Many) Islands,Nussbaum, "Ō-ya-shima no Kuni" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 768.|page=768}} Awaji, Iyo (later Shikoku), Oki, Tsukushi (later Kyūshū), Iki, Tsushima, Sado, and Yamato (later Honshū); Hokkaidō, Karafuto, Chishima, and Okinawa were not part of Japan in ancient times, as Aynu Mosir (the northern part of the archipelago) was inhabited by a non-Japanese group, the Ainu. The eight islands refers to the creation of the main eight islands of Japan by the gods Izanami and Izanagi in Japanese mythology as well as the fact that eight was a synonym for "many".
• Yashima ({{lang|ja|八島}} or {{lang|ja|八洲}}), "Eight (or Many) Islands"
• Fusō ({{lang|ja|扶桑}}), a mythical tree or a mysterious land located to the east of China. The term later became a poetic name of Japan.Schafer, Edward H. (1989), "Fusang and Beyond: The Haunted Seas to Japan", Journal of the American Oriental Society 109.3: 379, 394.
• Mizuho ({{lang|ja|瑞穂}}) refers to ears of grain, e.g. {{lang|ja|瑞穗國}} Mizuho-no-kuni "Country of Lush Ears (of Rice)". From Old Japanese midu > Japanese mizu ("water; lushness, freshness, juiciness") + Old Japanese fo > Japanese ho ("ear (of grain, especially rice)").
• Shikishima ({{lang|ja|敷島}}) is written with Chinese characters that suggest a meaning "islands that one has spread/laid out", but this name of Japan supposedly originates in the name of an area in Shiki District of Yamato Province in which some emperors of ancient Japan resided. The name of Shikishima (i.e. Shiki District) came to be used in Japanese poetry as an epithet for the province of Yamato (i.e. the ancient predecessor of Nara Prefecture), and was metonymically extended to refer to the entire island of Yamato (i.e. Honshū) and, eventually, to the entire territory of Japan. The word shima, though generally meaning only "island" in Japanese, also means "area, zone, territory" in many languages of the Ryūkyū Islands.
• Akitsukuni ({{lang|ja|秋津國}}), Akitsushima ({{lang|ja|秋津島}}), Toyo-akitsushima ({{lang|ja|豐秋津島}}). According to the literal meanings of the Chinese characters used to transcribe these names of Japan, toyo means "abundant", aki means "autumn", tsu means "harbor", shima means "island", and kuni means "country, land". In this context, -tsu may be interpreted to be a fossilized genitive case suffix, as in matsuge "eyelash" (< Japanese me "eye" + -tsu + Japanese ke "hair") or tokitsukaze "a timely wind, a favorable wind" (< Japanese toki "time" + -tsu + Japanese kaze "wind"). However, akitu or akidu are also archaic or dialectal Japanese words for "dragonfly", so "Akitsushima" may be interpreted to mean {{nihongo|秋津島|Dragonfly Island}}.Nussbaum, "Akitsushima" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 20.|page=20}} Another possible interpretation would take akitsu- to be identical with the akitsu- of akitsukami or akitsumikami ("god incarnate, a manifest deity", often used as an honorific epithet for the Emperor of Japan), perhaps with the sense of "the present land, the island(s) where we are at present".
• Toyoashihara no mizuho no kuni ({{lang|ja|豐葦原の瑞穗の國}}). "Country of Lush Ears of Bountiful Reed Plain(s)", Ashihara no Nakatsukuni, "Central Land of Reed Plains", "Country Amidst Reed Plain(s)" ({{lang|ja|葦原中國}}).
• Hinomoto ({{lang|ja|日の本}}). Simple kun reading of {{lang|ja|日本}}.

The katakana transcription {{lang|ja|ジャパン}} (Japan) of the English word Japan is sometimes encountered in Japanese, for example in the names of organizations seeking to project an international image. Examples include {{lang|ja|ジャパンネット銀行}} (Japan Netto Ginkō) (Japan Net Bank), {{lang|ja|ジャパンカップ}} (Japan Kappu) (Japan Cup), {{lang|ja|ワイヤレスジャパン}} (Waiyaresu Japan) (Wireless Japan), etc.

Dōngyáng ({{lang|zh|東洋}}) and Dōngyíng ({{lang|zh|東瀛}}) – both literally, "Eastern Ocean" – are Chinese terms sometimes used to refer to Japan exotically when contrasting it with other countries or regions in eastern Eurasia; however, these same terms may also be used to refer to all of East Asia when contrasting "the East" with "the West". The first term, Dōngyáng, has been considered to be a pejorative term when used to mean "Japan", while the second, Dōngyíng, has remained a positive poetic name. They can be contrasted with Nányáng (Southern Ocean), which refers to Southeast Asia, and Xīyáng (Western Ocean), which refers to the Western world. In Japanese and Korean, the Chinese word for "Eastern Ocean" (pronounced as tōyō in Japanese and as dongyang ({{lang|ko|동양}}) in Korean) is used only to refer to the Far East (including both East Asia and Southeast Asia) in general, and it is not used in the more specific Chinese sense of "Japan".

In Mandarin Chinese, Japan is called Rìběn {{lang|zh|日本}}. The Cantonese pronunciation is Yahtbún {{IPA|[jɐt˨ pun˧˥]|}}, the Shanghainese pronunciation is Zeppen {{IPA|[zəʔpən]}}, the Hokkien pronunciation is Ji̍tpún or Li̍t-pún, the standard Hakka pronunciation is Ngi̍t-pún and the Teochew pronunciation is Ji̍k púng. This has influenced the Malay name for Japan, Jepun, and the Thai word Yipun ({{lang|th|ญี่ปุ่น}}). The terms Jepang and Jipang were previously used in both Malay and Indonesian, but are today confined primarily to the Indonesian language. The Japanese introduced Nippon and Dai Nippon into Indonesia during the Japanese Occupation (1942–1945) but the native Jepang remains more common. In Korean, Japan is called Ilbon (Hangeul: {{lang|ko|일본}}, Hanja: {{lang|ko|日本}}), which is the Korean pronunciation of the Sino-Korean name, and in Sino-Vietnamese, Japan is called Nhật Bản (also rendered as Nhựt Bổn). In Mongolian, Japan is called Yapon (Япон).

Ue-kok ({{lang|zh|倭國}}) is recorded for older Hokkien speakers.{{cite web |url=http://www.chinalanguage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1613&sid=05f2a532fd6d670487b81b91c31eead2 |title=www.chineselanguage.org message board |publisher=Chinalanguage.com |access-date=2011-09-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070928003356/http://www.chinalanguage.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=1613&sid=05f2a532fd6d670487b81b91c31eead2 |archive-date=2007-09-28 |url-status=dead }} In the past, Korea also used {{lang|ko|倭國}}, pronounced Waeguk ({{lang|ko|왜국}}).

These are historic names of Japan that were noted on old maps issued in Europe.

{{colbegin|colwidth=3}}

• {{lang|roa|CIPANGU}}, circa 1300{{cite web |author=Marco Polo |url=https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2008/07/27/general/cipangus-landlocked-isles/ |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20180825151317/https://www.japantimes.co.jp/life/2008/07/27/general/cipangus-landlocked-isles |archivedate=August 25, 2018 |title=Cipangu's landlocked isles |date=27 July 2008 |publisher=The Japan Times |access-date=August 25, 2018}}
• 「IAPAM」, circa 1560{{Cite web |url=http://dpg.lib.berkeley.edu/webdb/dsheh/heh_brf?Description=&CallNumber=HM+44 |title=ハンティントン ライブラリー図書館所蔵「HM44」-2 |access-date=2021-10-08 |archive-date=2021-10-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211009014605/https://dpg.lib.berkeley.edu/webdb/dsheh/heh_brf?Description=&CallNumber=HM+44 |url-status=dead }}
• {{lang|ine|ZIPANGNI}}, 1561
• 「IAPAN」, circa 1567{{Cite web |url=http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con01.html |title=九州大学附属図書館所蔵「アジア図2」-3 |access-date=September 29, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006210024/http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con01.html |archivedate=October 6, 2011 }}
• 「JAPAN」, unknown first year.{{Cite web |url=http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con27c.html |title=九州大学附属図書館所蔵「アジア図2」-4 |access-date= September 29, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006200008/http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con27c.html |archivedate=October 6, 2011}}
• {{lang|la|IAPONIA}}, 1595{{Cite web |url=http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/jpn03.html |title=九州大学附属図書館所蔵「アジア図2」-6 |access-date=September 29, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006200304/http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/jpn03.html |archivedate=October 6, 2011 }}
• 「IAPAO」, 1628{{Cite web |url=http://www2.crb.ucp.pt/historia/abced%C3%A1rio/japao/cartografia.htm |title=カサ・ド・アルバ財団所蔵「1994:201」 |access-date=January 2, 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327215953/http://www2.crb.ucp.pt/Historia/abced%C3%A1rio/japao/cartografia.htm |archivedate=March 27, 2010 }}
• 「IAPON」, unknown first year.{{Cite web |url=http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con15e.html |title=九州大学附属図書館所蔵「アジア図2」-11 |access-date=September 29, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006195950/http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con15e.html |archivedate=October 6, 2011 }}
• 「NIPHON」, circa 1694{{Cite web |url=http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con03c.html |title=九州大学附属図書館所蔵「アジア図2」-22 |access-date=September 29, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006200215/http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con03c.html |archivedate=October 6, 2011 }}In the novel "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale" published in October 1851, the notation "Niphon" appears when checking nautical charts.
• 「JAPAM」, 1628{{Cite web |url=http://www2.crb.ucp.pt/historia/abced%C3%A1rio/japao/cartografia.htm |title=カサ・ド・アルバ財団所蔵「1994:243」 |access-date=January 2, 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327215953/http://www2.crb.ucp.pt/Historia/abced%C3%A1rio/japao/cartografia.htm |archivedate=March 27, 2010 }}
• 「YAPAN」, 1628{{Cite web |url=http://www2.crb.ucp.pt/historia/abced%C3%A1rio/japao/cartografia.htm |title=カサ・ド・アルバ財団所蔵「1994:197」 |access-date=January 2, 2013 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20100327215953/http://www2.crb.ucp.pt/Historia/abced%C3%A1rio/japao/cartografia.htm |archivedate=March 27, 2010 }}
• {{lang|nl|HET KONINKRYK JAPAN}}, circa 1730{{Cite web |url=http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/jpn07.html |title=九州大学附属図書館所蔵「アジア図2」-29 |access-date=September 29, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006195937/http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/jpn07.html |archivedate=October 6, 2011 }}
• {{lang|la|JAPANIÆ REGNVM}}, 1739{{Cite web |url=http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con12b.html |title=九州大学附属図書館所蔵「アジア図2」-31 |access-date=September 29, 2011 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20111006200340/http://record.museum.kyushu-u.ac.jp/asia2/con12b.html |archivedate=October 6, 2011 }}

{{colend}}

Unicode includes several character sequences that have been used to represent Japan graphically:

• {{Unichar|1F5FE|SILHOUETTE OF JAPAN}}. Japan is the only country with a map representation in Unicode.
• 🇯🇵, a sequence of regional indicator symbols corresponding to JP that are often displayed as a flag of Japan.

{{for-text|a full list|Japan#Translations in Wiktionary}}

These are some of the contemporary names for Japan in different languages.

• Japanese name (names of Japanese people)
• Japanese place names
• List of country-name etymologies
• Little China (ideology)

{{reflist}}

• {{cite book

| last = Doi

| first = Tadao

| title = Hōyaku Nippo Jisho

| publisher = Iwanami Shoten

| year = 1980

| orig-year = 1603

| location = Tōkyō

| language = ja

| isbn =4-00-080021-3

| title-link = Nippo Jisho

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Nussbaum

| first = Louis Frédéric

|author2=Käthe Roth

| title = Japan Encyclopedia

| publisher = Harvard University Press

| year = 2005

| location = Cambridge

}} {{ISBN|978-0-674-01753-5}}; [http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/48943301/editions?editionsView=true&referer=br OCLC 48943301]

{{reflist|group=1}}

{{Asia topic|Name of}}

{{Countries and languages lists}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Names Of Japan}}

Category:Japanese language

Japan

Japan

Category:Exonyms