Where does “japaninjänis” come from?

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

japaninjänis (Finnish): Japanese hare, Lepus brachyurus

Definitions

  1. Japanese hare, Lepus brachyurus

Ancestry of “japaninjänis”, step by step

japaninjänis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish japani

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FinnishjapaniJapanese language
2GermanJapan—
3DutchJapan—
4MalayJepangJapanese
5Hokkien日本Japan; Japanese; Japan
6Middle Chinese日本Land of the Rising Sun

via Finnish jänis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishjänishare; mountain hare, "Lepus timidus"; stowaway
2Proto-Finnicjänishare
Every word from Middle Chinese 日本 →Every word from Hokkien 日本 →Every word from Malay Jepang →