Where does “Japanese” come from?
Japanese comes from English Japan, derived from Dutch Japan, from Portuguese Japão, ultimately from Chinese 日本 meaning "origin of the sun," with the -ensis suffix from Latin indicating a place or people.
Japanese (English): Of, relating to, or derived from Japan, its...
Definitions
- Of, relating to, or derived from Japan, its...
Ancestry of “Japanese”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | Japan | — |
| 2 | Dutch | Japan | — |
| 3 | Malay | Jepang | Japanese |
| 4 | Hokkien | 日本 | Japan; Japanese; Japan |
| 5 | Middle Chinese | 日本 | Land of the Rising Sun |
Words derived from “Japanese”