日本

This appellation comes from imperial correspondence between the Chinese Sui Dynasty and Japan, and refers to the eastward position of Japan relative to China.

日本

1. Japan (a country and archipelago in East Asia)

   日本電視劇／日本电视剧  ―  Rìběn diànshìjù  ―  Japanese TV drama

Others (incomplete list):

• → Malay: Jepang, Jepun (via Min Nan)
  • → Indonesian: Jepang, Jepun
  • → Dutch: Japan
  • ⇒ Portuguese: Japão
    • ⇒ English: Japan
• → Manchu: ᡰᡳ
  ᠪᡝᠨ (ži ben)
• → Thai: ญี่ปุ่น (yîi-bpùn)
• → Tibetan: ཇི་བེན (ji ben)
• → Wutunhua: reben
• → Zhuang: Yizbwnj

• 日劇／日剧 (rìjù)
• 日語／日语 (rìyǔ)
• 日文 (rìwén)
• 日 (rì) (abbreviation)

/nitɨpoɴ/ → /nip̚poɴ/ → /niɸoɴ/ → /nihoɴ/

Coined in Japan of Sinic elements, as compound of 日 (nichi, “sun”) +‎ 本 (hon, “origin”) and literally meaning "origin of the sun". The hon element was apparently pronounced /poɴ/ when first coined. Over time, the initial /p/ lenited, becoming /ɸ/ as shown in the Nifon entry in the 1603 Nippo Jisho ("Japanese-Portuguese Dictionary").[1] This then became the /h/ sound in modern Japanese.[2][3]

In older texts, this was read as kun'yomi as 日の本 (Hinomoto). The on'yomi readings Nippon and Nihon became more common in the Heian period, with both persisting into modern use.[3] The Nihon reading appears to be the most common in everyday Japanese usage.[4]

This may be related to the famous letter from Prince Shōtoku to Emperor Yang of Sui sent via the Japanese mission to Sui China in 607, wherein we see the first mention of Japan as the Land of the Rising Sun, and a description of China as Land of the Setting Sun:

日出處天子致書日沒處天子無恙云云 [Classical Chinese, trad.]

---

日出处天子致书日没处天子无恙云云 [Classical Chinese, simp.]

rì chū chù tiānzǐ zhìshū rì méi chù tiānzǐ wúyàng yúnyún [Pinyin]

...the prince of the land of the rising sun sends a letter to the emperor of the place where the sun sets, for good health and so on.

日出處／日出处 (literally “sun + emerge + place”) here refers to Japan, while 日沒處／日没处 (literally “sun + sink + place”) refers to China.

• (Tokyo) にほ​ん [nìhóꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [2])[5][6]
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟ihõ̞ɴ]

• Audio

  (file)

日(に)本(ほん) • (Nihon) 

1. Short for 日本国 (Nihon-koku): Japan (a country and archipelago in East Asia)
   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 463)

     Nifon ニホン (日本) 日本.

2. a surname

• → Translingual: nihonium
  • → Japanese: ニホニウム

/nitɨpoɴ/ → /nip̚poɴ/

Phonetic variant of Nihon above, maintaining the /p/ sound (likely due to rendaku.)

• (Tokyo) にっぽ​ん [nìppóꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [3])[5][6]
• IPA^(key): [ɲ̟ip̚põ̞ɴ]

• Audio

  (file)

日(にっ)本(ぽん) • (Nippon) 

1. Short for 日本国 (Nippon-koku, “Japan”).
   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 466)

     Nippon ニッポン（日本） Fino moto. (日の本) 日本.

   • 1998 November 30 [Nov 25 1990], Fujiko F. Fujio, のび太(た)とアニマル惑星(プラネット) [Nobita and the Animal Planet] (大長編ドラえもん; 10), volume 10 (fiction), 22nd edition, Tokyo: Shogakukan, →ISBN, page 27:

     ぼくらは日本(にっぽん)からきたんだけど…。

     Bokura wa Nippon kara kita n da kedo….

     We’re from Japan, by the way….

     ニッポン？きいたことない。

     Nippon? Kiita koto nai.

     Japan? I’ve never heard of that before.

2. a surname

• Nippon is the official reading of 日本, although Nihon is also acknowledged.
• In everyday conversation, Nihon is more common.
• Politically, Nippon appears to be correlated with right-wing groups, and Nihon with left-wing groups.

• → English: Nippon (noun)
• → French: Nippon (noun), nippon (adjective)
• → Lingua Franca Nova: Nion (noun), nion (adjective)
• → Indonesian: Nippon (noun)

*/zitʉpon/ → /zip̚pon/ → /ʑip̚pon/

Uses the kan'on reading jitsu for 日, as compared to the goon reading nichi. First appears in texts from the early 1600s,[2] notably the 1603 Japanese-Portuguese dictionary Nippo Jisho. Probably influenced by European-language terminology for the country,[2][3] such as Portuguese Japão or Dutch Japan, in turn arising from Min Nan 日本 (Ji̍t-pún) via Malay Jepun, or from Min Nan 日本 (Ji̍t-pńg) via Malay Jepang.

• (Tokyo) じっぽ​ん [jìppóꜜǹ] (Nakadaka – [3])
• IPA^(key): [d͡ʑip̚põ̞ɴ]

日(じっ)本(ぽん) • (Jippon) 

1. (archaic) Japan
   • 1603–1604, Nippo Jisho (page 365)

     Iippon ジッポン (日本) Fino moto. (日の本) 東洋. すなわち、日本.

     [Note:The quoted ii in iippon is the 16th century Portuguese romanization representing [ji].]

• (prefectures of Japan) 日本; 北海道, 青森県, 岩手県, 宮城県, 秋田県, 山形県, 福島県, 茨城県, 栃木県, 群馬県, 埼玉県, 千葉県, 東京都, 神奈川県, 新潟県, 富山県, 石川県, 福井県, 山梨県, 長野県, 岐阜県, 静岡県, 愛知県, 三重県, 滋賀県, 京都府, 大阪府, 兵庫県, 奈良県, 和歌山県, 鳥取県, 島根県, 岡山県, 広島県, 山口県, 徳島県, 香川県, 愛媛県, 高知県, 福岡県, 佐賀県, 長崎県, 熊本県, 大分県, 宮崎県, 鹿児島県, 沖縄県 ^{(Category: ja:Prefectures of Japan)}

• 本(ほん)日(じつ) (honjitsu)

日本 • (Ilbon) (hangeul 일본)

1. Hanja form^? of 일본 (“Japan”).

The kanji spelling is influenced by 日の本 (pi₁ no₂ mo₍₂₎to₂).

日本 (Yamato₂) (kana やまと)

1. Alternative spelling of 大和 (Yamato₂): Yamato, ancient name of Japan

• 日本武尊 (Yamato₂ Takeru no₂ mi₁ko₂to₂)
• 大日本 (Opoyamato₂)

日本

1. chữ Hán form of Nhật Bản (“Japan”).