Meaning, origin and history of the place name Japan

Type Country

Pronounced Pron. jə-PAN(English) YA-pan(German) ya-PAHN(Dutch) YAH-pan(Swedish) [key·IPA]

Meaning & History

From Portuguese Japão, which was derived from a Malay form of Riben, the Chinese reading of Nippon.

Other Languages & CulturesJaponia(Albanian) Riben(Chinese) Jaapan(Estonian) Japon(French) Yapan(Hebrew) Giappone(Italian) Nihon, Nippon(Japanese) Japāna(Latvian) Japonija(Lithuanian) Japonija(Macedonian) Zhapon(Persian) Japonia(Polish) Japão(Portuguese) Japonia(Romanian) Japón(Spanish)

User SubmissionJapán