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

  1. Of, relating to, or derived from Japan, its...

Ancestry of “Japanese”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishJapanA hard black enamel varnish containing asphalt
2DutchJapan—
3MalayJepangJapanese
4Hokkien日本Japan; Japanese; Japan
5Middle Chinese日本Land of the Rising Sun

Words derived from “Japanese”

Every word from Middle Chinese 日本 →Every word from Hokkien 日本 →Every word from Malay Jepang →