Where does “日本” come from?
日本 (Japanese) comes from Japanese 日, from Old Japanese 日, from Proto-Japonic *pi — day, sun.
日本 (Japanese): {{l|en|Japan}}; Japan
Definitions
- {{l|en|Japan}}; Japan
Ancestry of “日本”, step by step
日本 traces back through 3 separate lines of ancestry.
via Japanese 日
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 日 | Sunday |
| 2 | Old Japanese | 日 | the sun; sunlight, sunshine; daytime, daylight |
| 3 | Proto-Japonic | *pi | day, sun |
via Japanese 本
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Japanese | 本 | Alternative form of 元; a book; a script; a... |
via Middle Chinese 日本
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Middle Chinese | 日本 | Land of the Rising Sun |