Etymology Explorer › Dutch

Where does “Japan” come from?

Japan (Dutch) comes from Malay Jepang, from Hokkien 日本, from Middle Chinese 日本 — Land of the Rising Sun.

Ancestry of “Japan”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1MalayJepangJapanese
2Hokkien日本Japan; Japanese; Japan
3Middle Chinese日本Land of the Rising Sun

Words derived from “Japan”

  • Japanese
  • Japan
  • Jap
  • japan
  • jap
  • japanning
  • Japanism
  • japanner
  • Japanesque
  • Japanology
  • Japanologist
  • Japanize
  • Japanophile
  • Japanification
  • antijapanese
  • Japanological
  • japannish
  • Japland
  • japannery
  • non-Japanese
  • Japscat
  • japanware
  • Sino-Japanese
  • Russo-Japanese
Every word from Middle Chinese 日本 →