Quote:
Originally Posted by Kanji_The_Wanderer
The origins of Japanese words? Sorry, I can't help you, but I have a question of my own...
Well for a long time now, I have had a question concerning a Japanese word that no one can ever answer....
The word Japan in Japanese is "Nihon" and someone from Nihon is "Nihongo". So I have been very confused. If Japanese people call themselves Nihongo, and their land Nihon, then where did the word Japan and Japanese come from?
Did other cultures and foreigners who found Japan give it that name?
I would love to have it cleared up!
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first of all someone from japan is not called 日本語 "nihongo/nippongo", that is the name of their language. they are called 日本人 "nihonjin/nipponjin"
a quick search in google resulted in this:
1577, via Port. Japao, Du. Japan, acquired in Malacca from Malay Japang, from Chinese jih pun "sunrise" (equivalent of Japanese Nippon), from jih "sun" + pun "origin." Earliest form in Europe was Marco Polo's Chipangu. Colloquial abbreviation Jap is from 1880, not originally pejorative but became so during World War II. Cultural contact led to japaning "coat with laquer or varnish" (1688), along with japonaiserie (1896, from Fr.), japonica (1819, from variant Japon), etc. Japanese beetle attested from 1919, accidentally introduced in U.S. 1916 in larval stage in a shipment of Japanese iris. Japlish "Japanese with many Eng. words" is from 1960.
many countries are not known by the same we give them in english in their own language. for example we can look at one of Japan's neighbours.
China: is known as 中国 "zhong guo" which you could pronounce perhaps "jong gwor"... haha ok hopefully you read that similar to the real sound. but we call it China. It is believed to come from the first dynasty to unite china, which was the Qin Dynasty. which is pronounced like "Chin" and in latin they wrote it is Sina.. so i think you can see how the word china could evolve from that.
also you should be aware that many other countries don't call America, Australia, England etc by their english name, they call it by another name in their own language. for example:
America:
Chinese - 美国 - "mei guo" sounds like "may gwor" which you could read as beautiful country.
Japanese - while the Japanese commonly call america アメリカ "amerika" (sounds the same as english because it is borrowed from english) they also call it 米国 "beikoku"
Australia
Japanese - オーストラリア "oosutoraria" sounds similar to English but they also call it 豪州 "goushuu" although this is not a commonly used term at all.
there are many more examples but i won't go on.