This is a mobile optimized page that loads fast, if you want to load the real page, click this text.

Who Named Japan - Japan?

By the way, I read a questionnaire result by the national language laboratory in Yomiuri Shimbun(maybe). It showed that Japanese uses both.
 
To the avarage speaker of another language, especially back in the day, trying to learn every name for noe place in every dialect and language of that place would cause massive headaches.

Frankly I see a different culture and language giving their own name to a place a quaint part of linguistic evolution, after all, they speak their own language, they have their own names for stuff.

As much as Japan tries, Britain will never be "Igirisu" or whatever, true they tried, but its still far from the name of the place, they inevitably took the name and turned it into their own word.

Everyone does it, just a nice factor of languages to learn and appriciate.

If we ever met aliens and their word for their world was aaagrahblaaaghgrevbhngmwowgej t3jte-tm3it-3, somehow I dont think anyone would have much issue with just calling it Agra or something easier.
 
In Italian (for some fun)
Country E.....Country Italian....People I.
Spain...........Spagna...............Spagnoli
France..........Francia...............Francesi
Japan...........Giappone............Giapponesi (Can also use Npponici)
(usually goes like that for many countries, but there is one exception)
Germany.......Germania...........Tedeschi
 
Actually, my professor wrote a paper on this quiestion,after nearly a year of research...
If you are really interested, I could ask her for the name of the journal where it is published, and where you can find this journal. But it is in Japanese, in academic style...
 
This is a reverse question. If you can choose to name your country, what names do you want to call?
 

I recently read an article on this subject in one college academic journal of East Asia Studies.I want to share some details here,just minor clarifications.


Wang Xiao Fu of the Beijing University found out that the name of Nipon was actually enfeoffed to Japan by Chinese Empress Wu ZeTian ( 武则天 ) in the seventh mission in 701 AD, not the sixth mission in 669. The reason is that the Tong Dian recorded the date to be 701, while the version in 舊唐書 ( old Tang history chronicle ) was ambiguous.It stated that Japan came to the Tang Court to congradulate the pacification of Koguryo in the sixth mission, and afterwards,Empress Wu enfoeffed the title of Japan. Therefore, the date of the enfeoffment is most probably 701 AD and not 670 AD as traditionally thought.

Wu Zetian - Wikipedia


China's Tang Court didn't actually create the name for Japan. Japan proposed what it wanted to be called, and its up to Tang to grant that permission.

The Chinese Wu dialect word for Nihon sounded something like "Zeppen" (modern Shanghainese still pronounces Nihon that way).
 
No internet link,here is the credit source.

Professor Wang Xiao-Fu
History of the Sui and Tang Dynasties
Tibetan History
History of China's Frontier Relations
E-mail: gzgsky@pku.edu.cn

* Presently,the Center has 12 fulltime researchers, including 9 professors and 3 associate professors; there are also 26 affiliated researchers, including 20 with the rank of professor or academician, and 6 associate professors.

I would add to prior post.The international system of East Asia at that time was centered around the Tang Court at Da Ming Palace.( similar to the modern UN ) States in the tributary system were either enfeoffed or renamed after they propose what they want to be referred as.When Korea's Koryo Kingdom wanted to be successor of the ancient collapsed Koguryo, it was accepted by the Chinese Imperial Court, but when Vietnam wanted to be referred to as Nan Yue during the Qing Dynasty, it was turned down. This enfeoffment doesn't change how these states called themselves, but in relationship to other states that were under the tributary system, they need the investiture of the Chinese Imperial Court.
 
ToMach said:
Legends say that Prince Shōtoku Taishi 聖徳太子 (574-622) sent a letter to the Chinese Emperor, where he calls himself by the title "emperor of where the Sun rises" (日出處天子).
Click to expand...

According to Chinese sources.In 608,it was Japanese Empress Suiko 推古天皇 wrote a letter to Chinese Emperor Sui Yangdi 隋煬帝 referring to herself as " Emperor of Heaven of the Land where the Sun Rises 日出處天子".So, it seems that the Japanese perception of themselves as living in the " land of the origin of the sun " was already around at that time.
 

I'll help you out, here is the source:
http://www.pku.edu.cn/academic/zggds/english/index.htm

 
Huh .. I was searching for an internet link for the published article so readers here can access to its entirety.
 
Last edited:
I don't know why Japanese use Kantakana for the name of Vietnam (In Chinese 窶ｰz窶愿ｬ). While they use Kanji for name of China and Korean.
 
historians think 日出處 of 日出處天子 is no more than a modifier as east.
（by 東野治之『遣唐使と正倉院』（岩波書店、1992）や神野志前掲書など）
it is original that Japanese called Japan 日本.
Old Japanese hated that Chinese call them wa-jin（倭人）.
They declared call themself 日本 in AC670～690（oldest code is Jpanese Asuka Kiyomihara Code in AC689）.history book of Tang's Chaina write that Japanese sembassies report China it in AC702.and it's recognized by China
 
hotaruika said:
Old Japanese hated that Chinese call them wa-jin （倭人）.
Click to expand...


Here is one excellent online reading material on Wa-jin ( 倭人) & China ( 支那 ).Sorry,no English translation.

http://read.anhuinews.com/system/2005/10/25/001377609.shtml

而在中國的三國時期，中國人使用倭去代表日本.由於「倭」字有「矮」的意思，因此在漢字傳入日本以後，日本人於日語中同音（わ）的「和」去代替。並用漢字「大和」去表寫日語的やまと，並用「日本」表寫ひのもと.後來日語中轉用音讀去讀「日本」，轉變成今日日語中常用的にほん（Nihon）和にっぽん（Nippon）.

當時"日本"的讀音為"やまと"，奈良時代以後變為"にほん"或"にっぽん".

It's utterly silly for modern Japanese & Chinese having petty battle of words over Wa ( 倭 ) & China ( 支那 ).Unfortunately,racially-motivated Japanese nationalists & China-hater Japanese individuals use it ( 支那 ) to irritate Chinese because they're inaccurately told by anti-Japan propaganda that 支那 is demeaning which is originally not the case.

在日中国人 named 林思雲 explains it ( 支那 ) in this article.

林思雲：「支那」問題縱橫談 - 大紀元

On the other hand,some Japan-basher Chinese twisted the true meaning of 倭 to belittle Japanese.Oh .. don't you know our ancestors purposely called you Japanese " dwarfs " & named your islands " 倭国 = dwarf nation " & also labeled your ethnicity " 倭奴 = dwarf slaves " !
 
Last edited:
cuonglhvt said:
I don't know why Japanese use Kantakana for the name of Vietnam ( In Chinese 越南 ). While they use Kanji for name of China and Korea.
Click to expand...


I am sure Japanese history & literature texts referenced Vietnam ( formerly named Annan in romanization ) as 安南 in Chinese characters.

Japanese increasingly use Katakana to transliterate foreign country names while retained Kanji ( 漢字 ) for ...

Taiwan 台湾
China 中国
Hong Kong 香港
Ryukyus ( Okinawa 沖縄 ) 琉球
Korea 韓国 ( 朝鮮 )

シンガポール Singapore ( Chinese: 新加坡 Kanji-transliteration )
シベリア Siberia ( Chinese: 西伯利亞 Kanji transliteration > Si = 西 be = 伯 ri = 利 a = 亞 )
モンゴル Mongolia ( Chinese: 蒙古 Kanji-transliteration,occasionally 蒙古利亞 )

Japanese people rarely write ホンコン ( Hong Kong ) or タイワン ( Taiwan ).

* a Jref thread on 倭人 ( Wa-jin-Japanese )

ﾋ彖人（wa-jin, Japanese)
 
Who named Japan? This is what I think

What I heard was... that When Westerners arrived in Korea long ago, they asked someone about the country by poining the finger overseas. The Korean who do not speak English asked "you mean Jeo Pyun?" which means over there? over that side? there? Westerners can pronouce exactly same way would have said "Ja Pen, Japan"

Someone who stuied Japan History asked my friend what "Ja Pan meant in Korean as he heard that is how it was named.

I think it makes sense. why didn't they name Nippon instead of Japan? Because Westereners called them Japan and they ended up with that name. Just like how "kangaroo" was named.
 
Even from my poor history knowledge, the East had already met the West before the British Empire.

It is a popular theory that Marco Polo or some Southern Chinese dialect/South East Asian languages influenced as Ducth Baka wrote above.
It is just a theory after all, so your mysterious English speaker theory might be true...

Just wondering if your theory is related to another (k)original historical claim that ancient Koreans founded England...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

  • Sticky
  • Poll Poll
What are your interests for Japan?
24 25 26
Replies
644
Views
244K
thomas
Y
The meaning of the first name Sanji ??
Replies
16
Views
85K
lilalbert
L
  • Poll Poll
Is Japan a Western country?
15 16 17
Replies
400
Views
176K
Kulern
D
Bunny name
Replies
8
Views
58K
FrustratedDave
cute japanese names
Replies
19
Views
57K
hiperson3673
H
Menu
Log in
Register
Cookies are required to use this site. You must accept them to continue using the site. Learn more…