Names of Japan

There are many names of Japan in the English, Japanese, and other languages. The word "Japan" (or "Japon") is an exonym, and is used (in one form or another) by a large number of languages.

The Japanese names for Japan are Nippon (にっぽん  listen (help·info)) and Nihon (にほん  listen (help·info)). They are both written in Japanese using the kanji 日本. The Japanese name Nippon is used for most official purposes, including on Japanese money, postage stamps, and for many international sporting events. Nihon is a more casual term and the most frequently used in contemporary speech.

Both Nippon and Nihon literally mean "the sun's origin", that is, where the sun originates,^[1] and are often translated as the Land of the Rising Sun. This nomenclature comes from Imperial correspondence with Chinese Sui Dynasty and refers to Japan's eastward position relative to China.

Before Nihon came into official use, Japan was known as Wa (倭^?) or Wakoku (倭国^?).^[2] Wa was a name early China used to refer to an ethnic group living in Japan around the time of the Three Kingdoms Period.

Nippon is used always or most often in the following constructions:^[10]

• Nippon-koku kenpō (Constitution of Japan)^[11]
• Ganbare Nippon! (A sporting cheer used at international sporting events, roughly, 'do your best, Japan!')
• Zen Nippon Kūyu (All Nippon Airways)
• Nippon-bashi (日本橋) (a shopping district in Osaka)

Nihon is used always or most often in the following constructions:^[12]

• Nihon-bashi (日本橋) (a bridge in Tokyo)
• Nihon Daigaku (Nihon University)^[13]
• Nihon-go (Japanese language)
• Nihon-jin (Japanese people)^[9]
• Nihon-kai (Sea of Japan)^[14]
• Nihon Kōkū (Japan Airlines)
• Nihon-shoki (an old history book, never Nippon shoki)^[15]