Japanese Country Names (2024)

FAQs

How to make a Japanese country name? ›

Nihon and Nippon. The Japanese name for Japan, 日本, can be pronounced either Nihon or Nippon. Both readings come from the on'yomi.

In Japanese, we call our country as “ni-hon /nihɔ́n/” or “nip-pon /nípɔːn/”. We express our country name as “日本” using Kanji character. “日” has some pronunciations but we pronounce it as “ni” which is the same pronunciation of a part of “nifty” or “niff” in former (“ni-hon”) case.

While Japanese people usually refer to their country as Nihon or Nippon these days, in early texts, the names Oyashima (mother island) or Yamato (which was written with the Chinese characters for great and wa, see below) were used.

Look at names of real countries in the region where you are setting your fictional country, and try to match the pattern. For example, there are several real countries in south Asia with names ending in "-stan", such as Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Kazakhstan. So a name ending in "-stan" would sound plausible.

While “Japan” is the official English name—a name believed either to be evolved from the way it was transcribed by Marco Polo or even from the Shanghainese pronunciation, in its native language—there are two official pronunciations for its name: Nihon and Nippon.

*tip: Japanese [zu] sound shouldn't be [z+u]. You will make [za] sound when you loosen your hands and add [a] after the [zzzz…] sound. You will make [ze] sound when you loosen your hands a little and add [e] after the [zzzz…]

99.2% of people in Japan have Japanese as their first language. There are still a few lesser-spoken languages across the islands. f*ckushima lives more on the countryside. Yokohama, a beautiful city south of Tokyo, was one of the first Japanese ports opened to foreign trade, in 1859.

Hikikomori refers to both the phenomenon in general and the recluses themselves, described as loners or "modern-day hermits". The phenomenon is primarily recognized in Japan, although similar concepts exist in other languages and cultures, especially South Korea.

What was Japan called in WWII? ›

For most Japanese place names, typically Kanji is used so you can imagine the meaning behind each place based on the meanings of the Kanji characters.

Japanese naming conventions arrange names as follows: [FAMILY NAME] [given name]. For example, YAMAMOTO Yukio (male) and SATŌ Akari (female). The family name (known as 'myouji' or 'ue no namae') is inherited patrilineally from one's father and shared with other siblings.

Will Japanese people be upset that you have a Japanese name or use a Japanese name? Mostly no - but you might find the especially rare person who does. Think of that person as similar to a westerner getting upset that a non-western person is using the name James or Jane.