View source for Names of Japan

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{{Distinguish|Japanese name}}
{{Redirect|Land of the Rising Sun|other uses|Land of the Rising Sun (disambiguation)}}

The word ''[[Japan]]'' is an [[endonym and exonym|exonym]], and is used (in one form or another) by many languages. The [[Japanese language|Japanese]] names for Japan are {{transl|ja|'''Nihon'''}} ({{lang|ja|{{Audio|ja-nihon(日本).ogg|にほん|help=no}}}}) and {{transl|ja|'''Nippon'''}} ({{lang|ja|{{Audio|ja-nippon(日本).ogg|にっぽん|help=no}}}}). They are both written in Japanese using the [[kanji]] '''{{lang|ja|日本}}'''.

Since the third century, Chinese called the people of the [[Japanese archipelago]] something like "ˀWâ" ({{lang|zh|倭}}), which can also mean "dwarf" or "submissive".<ref name="carr">{{cite journal |last1=Carr |first1=Michael |title=Wa Wa Lexicography |journal=International Journal of Lexicography |date=1 March 1992 |volume=5 |issue=1 |pages=1–31 |doi=10.1093/ijl/5.1.1 |url=https://academic.oup.com/ijl/article/5/1/1/950449 |language=en |issn=0950-3846}}</ref>{{rp|4–6}} Japanese scribes found fault with its [[Graphic pejoratives in written Chinese|offensive connotation]], and officially changed the characters they used to spell the native name for Japan, ''Yamato'', replacing the {{nihongo2|倭}} ("dwarf") character for ''Wa'' with the homophone {{nihongo2|和}} ("peaceful, harmonious"). ''Wa'' {{nihongo2|和}} was often combined with {{nihongo2|大}} ("great") to form the name {{nihongo2|大和}}, which is read as ''Yamato''<ref>{{cite web|title=Wa: The Spirit of Harmony and Japanese Design Today &#124; Concept, Works, and Catalogue|url=https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/culture/exhibit/oversea/wa/works.html|work=Japan Foundation|access-date=January 29, 2017|archive-date=August 5, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190805083356/https://www.jpf.go.jp/e/project/culture/exhibit/oversea/wa/works.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="fuzita">{{cite web|title=Why Japan is Japan? How Japan became Japan? |url= http://www.fuzita.org/jpculture/howmanyi/howjapan.html|access-date=January 29, 2017}}</ref> (see also [[Jukujikun]] for a discussion of this type of spelling where the kanji and pronunciations are not directly related). The earliest record of {{nihongo2|日本}} appears in the Chinese ''[[Old Book of Tang]]'', which notes the change in 703 when Japanese envoys requested that its name be changed. It is believed that the name change within Japan itself took place sometime between 665 and 703.<ref>{{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=ʊRoutledge |isbn=978-1317457671 }}</ref> During the [[Heian period]], {{nihongo2|大和}} was gradually replaced by {{nihongo2|日本}}, which was first pronounced with the [[Sino-Japanese reading|Chinese reading (on'yomi)]] ''Nippon'' and later as ''Nifon'', and then in modern usage ''Nihon'', reflecting shifts in [[Japanese phonology|phonology]] in [[Early Modern Japanese]].<ref name="carr" />{{Failed verification|reason=Carr 1992 p7 only says "h" and "pp" ''readings'' were both used since ancient times.|date=May 2024}} In 1076, Turkic scholar [[Mahmud al-Kashgari]] in his book [[Dīwān Lughāt al-Turk]] mentioned this country as 'Jabarqa' (جَابَرْقَا)<ref>https://www.myoldmaps.com/early-medieval-monographs/214-al-kashgaris-world-map/214-al-kashghari.pdf World Map of al-Kashghari, «While to the east there are the lands of Mashin [China] and Japarqa [Japan], to the west, there appear the borders of Egypt and the lands of the Magrib [Iberian peninsula], which is Andulus.» </ref>. [[Marco Polo]] called Japan 'Cipangu' around 1300, based on the Chinese name,<ref name="marco-polo-cipangu"/> probably {{Lang-zh|t=日本國|labels=no|l=sun source country}} (compare modern [[Min Nan]] pronunciation ''ji̍t pún kok''). In the 16th century in [[Malacca]], [[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] traders first heard from [[Malaysian language|Malay]] and [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] the names ''Jepang'', ''Jipang'', and ''Jepun''.<ref name="trauay"/> In 1577 it was first recorded in English, spelled ''Giapan''.<ref name="trauay"/> At the end of the 16th century, Portuguese [[Missionary|missionaries]] came to Japan and created grammars and dictionaries of [[Late Middle Japanese|Middle Japanese]]. The 1603–1604 dictionary [[Nippo Jisho|Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam]] has 2 entries: ''nifon''<ref>Doi (1980:463)</ref> and ''iippon''.<ref>Doi (1980:363)</ref> Since then many derived names of Japan appeared on early-modern European maps.

==History==
{{Further|Wa (Japan)}}

[[File:FramauroJava.jpg|thumb|Cipangu (cited as ''ixola de cimpagu'' on the center-left) on the 1453 [[Fra Mauro map]], the first known Western depiction of the island]]

Both ''Nippon'' and ''Nihon'' literally mean "the sun's origin", that is, where the sun originates,<ref name="nussbaum707">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 }}.</ref> and are often translated as the ''Land of the Rising Sun''. This nomenclature comes from [[Imperial embassies to China|Imperial correspondence]] with the [[China|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 (Japan)|Wa]]}} or {{nihongo||倭国|Wakoku}}.<ref>{{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}}</ref> ''Wa'' was a name early China used to refer to an ethnic group living in [[Yayoi period|Japan around the time of]] the [[Three Kingdoms|Three Kingdoms period]].{{CN|date=March 2024}} The [[Yayoi people]] primarily lived on the island of [[Kyushu]] to the [[Kanto region]] on [[Honshu]].

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. "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 [[Graphic pejoratives in written Chinese|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}} [[British Empire|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 [[Jōdai Tokushu Kanazukai|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}}.<ref><span class="book">'''2006''', <cite>{{lang|ja|大辞林}} (''[[w:Daijirin|Daijirin]]'')</cite>, Third Edition (in Japanese), [[w:Tōkyō|Tōkyō]]: [[w:Sanseidō|Sanseidō]], {{ISBN|4-385-13905-9}}</span></ref><ref><span class="book">'''1995''', <cite>{{lang|ja|大辞泉}} (''[[w:Daijisen|Daijisen]]'')</cite> (in Japanese), [[w:Tōkyō|Tōkyō]]: [[w:Shogakukan|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]</span></ref><ref name="KDJ"><span class="book">'''1988''', <cite>{{lang|ja|国語大辞典（新装版）}} (''Kokugo Dai Jiten'', Revised Edition)</cite> (in Japanese), [[w:Tōkyō|Tōkyō]]: [[w:Shogakukan|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]</span></ref> 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|on'yomi]] or [[Kun-yomi|kun'yomi]], a.k.a. [[jukujikun]], is not uncommon in Japanese. Other original names in Chinese texts include ''[[Yamataikoku|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}}.{{CN|date=March 2024}} In time, these characters began to be read using [[On reading|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.<ref>{{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=<!--9781315700045-->978-1317457671 }}</ref> The sun plays an important role in [[Japanese mythology]] and [[Shinto|religion]] as the [[Emperor of Japan|emperor]] is said to be the [[Japanese imperial family tree|direct descendant]] of the sun goddess [[Amaterasu]] and the legitimacy of the [[Imperial House of Japan|ruling house]] rested on this divine appointment and [[Japanese imperial family tree|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 [[Book of Sui|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 [[Empress Suiko|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".<ref>{{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&ndash;9 |publisher=Oxford University Press |date= 2016 |isbn= 978-0195375664 }} </ref><ref>{{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)</ref>

[[File:Martin Behaim 1492 Ocean Map.png|thumb|''Cipangu'' described on the 1492 [[Erdapfel|Martin Behaim globe]]]]
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''.<ref name="marco-polo-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}}</ref> The [[Malaysian language|Malay]] and [[Indonesian language|Indonesian]] words ''Jepang'', ''Jipang'', and ''Jepun'' were borrowed from non-Mandarin Chinese languages, and this Malay word was encountered by [[Portugal|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''.<ref name="trauay">[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</ref>

In English, the modern official title of the country is simply "Japan", one of the few countries to have no "[[List of sovereign states|long form]]" name. The official Japanese-language name is ''Nippon-koku'' or ''Nihon-koku'' ({{lang|ja|日本国}}), literally "''[[Nation state|State]] of Japan''".<ref>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'').</ref> 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]].

==Phonology==
[[Portuguese people|Portuguese]] [[Missionary|missionaries]] arrived in Japan at the end of the 16th century. In the course of learning [[Japanese language|Japanese]], they created several grammars and dictionaries of [[Late Middle Japanese|Middle Japanese]]. The 1603–1604 dictionary [[Nippo Jisho|Vocabvlario da Lingoa de Iapam]] contains two entries for Japan: ''nifon''<ref>Doi (1980:463)</ref> and ''iippon''.<ref>Doi (1980:363)</ref>
The title of the dictionary (''Vocabulary of the Language of Japan'') illustrates that the [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] word for Japan was by that time ''Iapam''.

===Nifon===

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".}}

===Jippon===

Before modern styles of [[Romanization of Japanese|romanization]], the Portuguese devised their [[Romanization of Japanese#Historical romanizations|own]]. In it, {{IPA|/zi/}} is written as either ''ii'' or ''ji''. In modern [[Hepburn romanization|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''.

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

===Meaning===
{{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"<ref name="r864">{{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}}</ref> or "where the sun rises" (from a [[China|Chinese]] point of view, 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 [[sokuon|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.

===Evolution===
Japanese {{lang|ja|[[wiktionary:日|日]]}} and {{lang|ja|[[wiktionary:本|本]]}} were historically pronounced ''niti'' (or ''jitu'', reflecting a [[Kan-on|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 [[Fuzhou language|Fuzhounese]] ''Nĭk-buōng''. In modern [[Taishanese|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]'' [[Help:IPA|[ŋip˦˨ bɔn˥]]]. <ref>{{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}}</ref> 

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 [[Late Middle Japanese#Phonology|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.<ref>[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]]''</ref>

===Modern===
While both pronunciations are correct, ''Nippon'' is frequently preferred for official purposes,<ref>Nussbaum, "Nippon" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 709.|page=709}}</ref> including [[Yen|money]], [[postage stamp|stamp]]s, and international [[sporting event]]s, 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 ''[[Japanese language|Nihongo]]''; ''Nippongo'', while possible,<ref>{{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}}</ref>
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''.<ref name="nussbaum708">Nussbaum, "Nihon Ginkō" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 708.|page=708}}</ref>

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

*''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 Corporation|Nikon]] (''[[Nippon Kōgaku]] Kōgyō'')
*[[Nippon Animation]]
*[[Nippon Ham]]
*[[Nippon Life|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:<ref>Nussbaum, "Nihon" ''passim'' at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|pp. 707–711.|page=707}}</ref>
*''JR Higashi-Nihon'' ([[East Japan Railway]], [[JR Group]])
*''[[Nihombashi|Nihonbashi]]'' ({{lang|ja|日本橋}}) (a bridge in [[Tokyo]])
*''Nihon Daigaku'' ([[Nihon University]])<ref>Nussbaum, "Nihon University (Nihon Daigaku)" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|pp. 710–711.|page=710}}</ref>
*''Nihon-go'' ([[Japanese language]])
*''Nihon-jin'' (日本人) ([[Japanese people]])<ref name="nussbaum708"/>
*''Nihon-kai'' ([[Sea of Japan]])<ref>Nussbaum, "Nihonjin" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|pp. 708–709.|page=708}}</ref>
*''Nihon Kōkū'' ([[Japan Airlines]])
*''[[Nihon-shoki]]'' (an old history book, never ''Nippon shoki'')<ref>Nussbaum, "Nihon shoki" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 710.|page=710}}</ref>
*''[[Sake|Nihonshu]]'' (日本酒; meaning 'Japanese wine')
*''[[All_Japan_Kendo_Federation|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]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>

==Jipangu==
[[File:Map of America by Sebastian Munster.JPG|thumb|Another spelling, "Zipangri" (upper left), was used on a 1561 map by [[Sebastian Münster]].<ref>{{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}}</ref>]]
As mentioned above, the [[English language|English]] word ''Japan'' has a circuitous derivation; but [[linguistics|linguists]] believe it derives in part from the [[Portuguese language|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'' ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]]: ʐʅ˥˩pən˨˩˦), and literally translates to "sun origin". ''Guó'' ([[International Phonetic Alphabet|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]].<ref name="marco-polo-cipangu"/> 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 in Medieval times 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 dialect|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 [[obfuscation|obfuscated]] name for Japan has recently come into vogue for Japanese [[film]]s, [[anime]], [[video game]]s, etc.

==Other names==
===Classical===
[[File:Japan yashima.png|right|220px]]
These names were invented after the introduction of Chinese into the language, and they show up in historical texts for prehistoric legendary dates and also in names of gods and [[List of Japanese monarchs|Japanese emperors]]:

* ''Ōyashima'' ({{lang|ja|大八洲}}) meaning the Great Country of Eight (or Many) Islands,<ref>Nussbaum, "Ō-ya-shima no Kuni" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 768.|page=768}}</ref> ''[[Awaji Island|Awaji]]'', ''Iyo'' (later [[Shikoku]]), ''[[Oki Islands|Oki]]'', ''Tsukushi'' (later [[Kyūshū]]), ''[[Iki Island|Iki]]'', ''[[Tsushima Island|Tsushima]]'', ''[[Sado, Niigata|Sado]]'', and ''Yamato'' (later [[Honshū]]); [[Hokkaidō]], [[Sakhalin|Karafuto]], [[Chishima]], and [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] were not part of Japan in ancient times, as [[Hokkaido|Aynu Mosir]] (the northern part of the archipelago) was inhabited by a non-Japanese group, the [[Ainu people|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"
* ''[[Fusang|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.<ref>Schafer, Edward H. (1989), "Fusang and Beyond: The Haunted Seas to Japan", ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'' 109.3: 379, 394.</ref>
* ''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, Nara|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 [[metonymy|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 language|Japanese]], also means "area, zone, territory" in many [[Ryukyuan languages|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#In culture|dragonfly]]", so "Akitsushima" may be interpreted to mean {{nihongo|秋津島|Dragonfly Island}}.<ref>Nussbaum, "Akitsushima" at {{Google books|p2QnPijAEmEC|p. 20.|page=20}}</ref> 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 (linguistics)|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.

===In other Eastern Asian languages===
''Dōngyáng'' ({{lang|zh|東洋}}) and ''Dōngyíng'' ({{lang|zh|東瀛}}) – both literally, "Eastern Ocean" – are [[Chinese language|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 ''[[Nanyang (geographical region)|Nányáng]]'' (Southern Ocean), which refers to [[Southeast Asia]], and ''Xīyáng'' (Western Ocean), which refers to the [[Western world]]. In [[Japanese language|Japanese]] and [[Korean language|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 language|Hakka]] pronunciation is ''Ngi̍t-pún'' and the [[Teochew language|Teochew]] pronunciation is ''Ji̍k púng''. This has influenced the [[Malaysian language|Malay]] name for Japan, ''Jepun'', and the [[Thai language|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 vocabulary|Sino-Korean]] name, and in [[Sino-Vietnamese vocabulary|Sino-Vietnamese]], Japan is called ''Nhật Bản'' (also rendered as ''Nhựt Bổn''). In [[Mongolian language|Mongolian]], Japan is called ''Yapon'' (Япон).

''Ue-kok'' ({{lang|zh|倭國}}) is recorded for older [[Hokkien]] speakers.<ref>{{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 }}</ref> In the past, Korea also used {{lang|ko|倭國}}, pronounced ''Waeguk'' ({{lang|ko|왜국}}).

===Notation on old European maps===
These are historic names of Japan that were noted on old maps issued in Europe.
{{colbegin|colwidth=3}}
*{{lang|roa|CIPANGU}}, circa 1300<ref>{{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}}</ref>
*「IAPAM」, circa 1560<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*{{lang|ine|ZIPANGNI}}, 1561<ref>{{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}}</ref>
*「IAPAN」, circa 1567<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*「JAPAN」, unknown first year.<ref>{{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}}</ref>
*{{lang|la|IAPONIA}}, 1595<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*「IAPAO」, 1628<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*「IAPON」, unknown first year.<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*「NIPHON」, circa 1694<ref>{{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 }}</ref><ref group="1">In the novel "Moby-Dick; or, The Whale" published in October 1851, the notation "Niphon" appears when checking nautical charts.</ref>
*「JAPAM」, 1628<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*「YAPAN」, 1628<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*{{lang|nl|HET KONINKRYK JAPAN}}, circa 1730<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
*{{lang|la|JAPANIÆ REGNVM}}, 1739<ref>{{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 }}</ref>
{{colend}}

===Emoji===
[[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 symbol]]s corresponding to JP that are often displayed as a [[flag of Japan]].

== Contemporary names ==
{{for-text|a full list|[[wikt:Japan#Translations|Japan#Translations]] in [[Wiktionary]]}}

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

{|class="wikitable"
|-
!Language
!Contemporary name for Japan (romanization)
|-
|Albanian
|''Japonia''
|-
|Amharic
|{{lang|am|ጃፓን}} (''japani'')
|-
|Arabic
|{{lang|ar|اليابان}} (''al-yābān'')
|-
|Armenian
|ճապոնիա (''Chaponia'')
|-
|Azerbaijani
|''Yaponiya''
|-
|Bengali
|{{lang|bn|জাপান}} (''Jāpān'')
|-
|Basque
|''Japonia''
|-
|Belarusian
|Японія (''Japonija'')
|-
|Bulgarian
|Япония (''Yaponiya'')
|-
|Catalan
|''Japó''
|-
|Cornish
|''Nihon''
|-
|Croatian
|''Japan''
|-
|Czech
|''Japonsko''
|-
|Danish
|''Japan''
|-
|Dutch
|''Japan''
|-
|English
|''Japan''
|-
|Filipino
|''Hapón'' (from Spanish, ''Japón'')
|-
|Finnish
|''Japani''
|-
|French
|''Japon''
|-
|Galician
|''O Xapón''
|-
|Georgian
|იაპონია (''iaponia'')
|-
|German
|''Japan''
|-
|Greek
|Ιαπωνία (''Iaponía'')
|-
|Hawaiian
|''Iapana''
|-
|Hebrew
|{{lang|he|יפן}} (''Yapan'')
|-
|Hindi
|{{lang|hi|जापान}} (''jāpān'')
|-
|Hungarian
|''Japán''
|-
|Icelandic
|''Japan''
|-
|Indonesian
|''Jepang''
|-
|Irish
|''An tSeapáin''
|-
|Italian
|''Giappone''
|-
|Kannada 
|''ಜಪಾನ್'' (''jāpān'')
|-
|Kazakh
|Жапония (''Japoniya'')
|-
|Khmer
|{{lang|km|ជប៉ុន}} (''japon'')
|-
|Laotian
|{{lang|lo|ຍີ່ປຸ່ນ}} (''nyipun'')
|-
|Lithuanian
|''Japonija''
|-
|Malay
|''Jepun'' ({{lang|ms-Arab|جڤون}})
|-
|Malayalam
|{{lang|ml|ജപ്പാൻ}} (''jappān'')
|-
|Maltese
|''Ġappun''
|-
|Manx
|Yn çhapaan
|-
|Marathi
|{{lang|mr|जपान}} (''japān'')
|-
|Mongolian
|Япон (''Yapon'')
|-
|Norwegian
|''Japan''
|-
|Persian
|{{lang|fa|ژاپن}} (''žāpon'') in Iran and جاپان (''jāpān'') in Afghanistan
|-
|Polish
|''Japonia''
|-
|Portuguese
|''Japão''
|-
|Quechua
|''Nihun''
|-
|Romanian
|''Japonia''
|-
|Russian
|Япония (''Yaponiya'')
|-
|Scottish Gaelic
|''Iapan''
|-
|Serbian
|''Јапан'' (''Japan'')
|-
|Sinhala
|{{lang|si|ජපානය}} (''Japanaya'')
|-
|Slovak
|''Japonsko''
|-
|Slovenian
|''Japonska''
|-
|Spanish
|''Japón''
|-
|Swedish
|''Japan''
|-
|Tamil
|{{lang|ta|ஜப்பான்}} (''Jappaan'')
|-
|Thai
|{{lang|th|ญี่ปุ่น}} (''yîi-bpùn'')
|-
|Turkish
|''Japonya''
|-
|Ukrainian
|{{lang|uk|Японія}} (''Yaponiya'')
|-
|Urdu
|{{lang|ur|{{nq|جاپان}}}} (''jāpān'')
|-
|Vietnamese
|{{lang|vi|Nhật Bản}}
|-
|Welsh
|''Japan'' (sometimes spelt ''Siapan'')
|-
|Xhosa
|''Japhan''
|}

==See also==
* [[Japanese name]] (names of Japanese people)
* [[Japanese place names]]
* [[List of country-name etymologies]]
* [[Little China (ideology)]]

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==References==
* {{cite book
  | last = Doi
  | first = Tadao
  | title = Hōyaku Nippo Jisho
  | publisher = [[Iwanami Shoten Publishing|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:Names of Japan| ]]
[[Category:Japanese language]]
[[Category:Country name etymology|Japan]]
[[Category:Lists of country names in various languages|Japan]]