Japanese in Different Languages
Discover 'Japanese' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'Japanese' holds a significant weight in the world, representing not just a nationality or language, but also a rich and unique culture. From the land of the rising sun, Japanese traditions, art, literature, and technology have captivated the globe for centuries.
Knowing the translation of 'Japanese' in different languages can open doors to understanding and appreciating this fascinating culture on a deeper level. For instance, in Spanish, 'Japonés' (masc.) or 'Japonesa' (fem.) reflects the language and people, while in French, 'Japonais' (masc.) or 'Japonaise' (fem.) captures the same essence. Meanwhile, in German, 'Japaner' (masc.) or 'Japanerin' (fem.) highlights the Japanese identity.
Moreover, the historical context of the word 'Japanese' is as intriguing as its cultural importance. Originating from the Chinese name for the country, 'Cipangu,' the word has evolved and adapted over time, reflecting the dynamic nature of the language and its people.
Join us as we delve into the translations of 'Japanese' in various languages, providing a linguistic and cultural journey that spans continents and centuries.
Japanese
Japanese in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | japannees | ||
| Amharic | ጃፓንኛ | ||
| Hausa | jafananci | ||
| The word "Jafananci" is derived from the Japanese word "Nihonjin" which also means "Japanese". | |||
| Igbo | ndị japan | ||
| The term 'Ndị Japan' in Igbo is sometimes playfully used to refer to people from the Igbo ethnic group who are known for their industrious and enterprising nature. | |||
| Malagasy | anarana | ||
| The Malagasy word "Anarana" is derived from the Arabic word "An-najran" which refers to a region in Yemen. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | chijapani | ||
| In Nyanja, "Chijapani" can also refer to someone dressed in a colorful kimono-like attire. | |||
| Shona | chijapanese | ||
| The etymology of "ChiJapanese" is unknown, and it may also refer to Japanese food, culture, or people. | |||
| Somali | jabbaan | ||
| The Somali word "Jabbaan" can also mean "strange" or "unfamiliar" in reference to a person, and "exotic" or "rare" in reference to an object. | |||
| Sesotho | sejapane | ||
| The word 'Sejapane' may have originated from the Japanese word 'Nihon', which also means 'Japan'. | |||
| Swahili | kijapani | ||
| Swahili word 'Kijapani' is derived from Malay, and originally meant 'copper' or 'brass' due to the material of Japanese coins. | |||
| Xhosa | isijaphani | ||
| The term 'IsiJaphani' is derived from the Zulu word 'Japane', which means 'from Japan', with 'isi' being the Xhosa prefix for languages. | |||
| Yoruba | ara ilu japan | ||
| In Yoruba, the term "Ara ilu Japan" can also refer to "those in the land of the rising sun" or "people of the East". | |||
| Zulu | isijapane | ||
| The term 'IsiJapane' may also refer to the Japanese language or Japanese customs. | |||
| Bambara | zapɔnkan na | ||
| Ewe | japangbe me tɔ | ||
| Kinyarwanda | ikiyapani | ||
| Lingala | bato ya japon | ||
| Luganda | olujapani | ||
| Sepedi | sejapane | ||
| Twi (Akan) | japanfo kasa | ||
Japanese in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | اليابانية | ||
| اليابانية هي أيضًا اسم لليابان نفسها، ومصطلح يستخدم لوصف لغة هذه البلاد وأدبها وتقاليدها. | |||
| Hebrew | יַפָּנִית | ||
| The word "יַפָּנִית" comes from the Sanskrit word "यवन" (Yavana), which referred to the Greeks and later to foreigners in general. | |||
| Pashto | جاپاني | ||
| In Pashto, the word جاپاني can also refer to a type of fine cloth or a Japanese kimono. | |||
| Arabic | اليابانية | ||
| اليابانية هي أيضًا اسم لليابان نفسها، ومصطلح يستخدم لوصف لغة هذه البلاد وأدبها وتقاليدها. | |||
Japanese in Western European Languages
| Albanian | japoneze | ||
| In Albanian, "Japonezi" is a term used to refer exclusively to men from Japan, while "Japoneze" refers specifically to women. | |||
| Basque | japoniarra | ||
| The word "Japoniarra" comes from a corruption of the Spanish word "Japon". | |||
| Catalan | japonès | ||
| Croatian | japanski | ||
| The word "japanski" in Croatian can also refer to "lacquered". | |||
| Danish | japansk | ||
| In Danish, "japansk" can also refer to a type of orange varnish or to something exotic and luxurious. | |||
| Dutch | japans | ||
| In Dutch, "Japans" has an alternate meaning of "lacquered", originating from the high-quality lacquerware imported from Japan during the Dutch East India Company era. | |||
| English | japanese | ||
| The word "Japanese" can also refer to the Japanese language, or to the people of Japan. | |||
| French | japonais | ||
| En français, "Japonais" peut aussi désigner un style de peinture ou un type de vase. | |||
| Frisian | japansk | ||
| Galician | xaponés | ||
| The word "Xaponés" in Galician derives from the medieval Latin word "iaponensis", based on the Chinese word "rìběn" (literally "sun origin"), referring to Japan's location in the East. | |||
| German | japanisch | ||
| The word "japanisch" (Japanese) in German has its origins in the Malay word "japang", which was used to refer to inhabitants of the southern Japanese island of Kyushu. | |||
| Icelandic | japanska | ||
| "Japanska" (Japanese) in Icelandic comes from "Japan" + "-ska" (the language of), but literally means "the language of the people who eat Japanese knotweed". | |||
| Irish | seapánach | ||
| The word "Seapánach" in Irish derives from the word "Sapón" in the Japanese language, which means "island". | |||
| Italian | giapponese | ||
| The term 'giapponese' derives from the Malay word 'jepang' and the Portuguese word 'japão', both of which mean 'sunlight' | |||
| Luxembourgish | japanesch | ||
| Maltese | ġappuniż | ||
| The word 'Ġappuniż' comes from the Italian word 'Giappone' which is derived from the Portuguese word 'Japão' which in turn comes from the Chinese word '日本' (Rìběn). | |||
| Norwegian | japansk | ||
| The word «Japansk» originates from the Malay word «Japang», which means «land of the rising sun». | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | japonês | ||
| The word “japonês” can also mean someone who gossips, a chatterbox or “fofoqueiro” in Portuguese. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | iapanach | ||
| The Gaelic word "Iapanach" is also used to refer to the inhabitants of India, due to the historical association between the two regions. | |||
| Spanish | japonés | ||
| El término «japonés» puede referirse también a un tipo de tela de algodón con estampado floral. | |||
| Swedish | japanska | ||
| The word "Japanska" in Swedish can also refer to a type of wood varnish or a specific shade of red. | |||
| Welsh | japaneaidd | ||
| The term "Japaneaidd" may also refer to objects or people originating from the East in general during the Middle Ages. | |||
Japanese in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | японскі | ||
| "Японскі" (Japanese) in Belarusian comes from the Chinese word "日本" (Rìběn; lit. "source of the sun"), reflecting the direction of Japan relative to China. | |||
| Bosnian | japanski | ||
| Prema jednoj teoriji riječ 'Japanski' u bosanskom jeziku dolazi od turske riječi 'Japon'} | |||
| Bulgarian | японски | ||
| Японският език се е оформил по-късно след Китайският. | |||
| Czech | japonský | ||
| "Japonsko" se také v češtině používá pro označení laku na nehty. | |||
| Estonian | jaapani keel | ||
| The word "Jaapani keel" in Estonian also means "strange or incomprehensible language". | |||
| Finnish | japanilainen | ||
| The term "japanilainen" originally referred to the people and language from "Japani," a former Swedish name for Japan. | |||
| Hungarian | japán | ||
| In Hungarian, "japán" can also refer to something shiny or polished, reflecting the perceived quality of Japanese goods during the Middle Ages. | |||
| Latvian | japāņu | ||
| The word "Japāņu" can also refer to a type of Japanese lacquerware | |||
| Lithuanian | japonų | ||
| The word "Japonų" can also refer to the Japanese language or culture, or more specifically, to the "land of the rising sun". | |||
| Macedonian | јапонски | ||
| The word "Јапонски" ("Japanese") in Macedonian comes from the French word "Japon", which in turn comes from the Malay word "Japang", meaning "land of the rising sun." | |||
| Polish | język japoński | ||
| The word "język japoński" literally means "Japanese language" in Polish and can also refer to the tongue of a Japanese person. | |||
| Romanian | japonez | ||
| In Romanian, "japonez" also means "variegated" or "speckled", referring to the colorful clothing worn by Japanese people in the past. | |||
| Russian | японский | ||
| Японский also means "clear," "bright," "pure" or "unmixed," as in чистый спирт or unadulterated alcohol. | |||
| Serbian | јапански | ||
| The word "Јапански" can also refer to a type of traditional Japanese music or a type of lacquerware. | |||
| Slovak | japončina | ||
| Slovanské jazyky nazývajú Japoncov často Niponci, čo má pôvod v portugalskom slove Japão, ktoré bolo odvodené z čínskeho 倭人 (wōrén) s významom "poddaní". | |||
| Slovenian | japonski | ||
| The word "Japonski" is a loanword from Russian and also refers to a traditional Slovenian card game for four players. | |||
| Ukrainian | японська | ||
| The word "Японська" can also refer to a type of lacquerware or a type of pear. | |||
Japanese in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | জাপানি | ||
| The word "জাপানি" can also mean "Japanese people" or "Japanese language". | |||
| Gujarati | જાપાની | ||
| The word "જાપાની" is derived from the Persian word "ژاپن" (Jāpān), which itself is derived from the Chinese word "日本" (Rìběn), meaning "origin of the sun". | |||
| Hindi | जापानी | ||
| जापानी शब्द की व्युत्पत्ति जापान के निवासियों के लिए एक वैकल्पिक नाम 'वा' से हुई है। | |||
| Kannada | ಜಪಾನೀಸ್ | ||
| Malayalam | ജാപ്പനീസ് | ||
| Marathi | जपानी | ||
| In Marathi, the word "जपानी" can also refer to a type of fabric. | |||
| Nepali | जापानी | ||
| नेपाली शब्द 'जापानी' आइनु भाषा के 'जापुन' शब्द से आया है, जिसका अर्थ है 'सुबह का देश'। | |||
| Punjabi | ਜਪਾਨੀ | ||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | ජපන් | ||
| The word “ජපන්” (Japanese) also means “to mumble” in Sinhala, and “to chant” or “to recite” in Sanskrit. | |||
| Tamil | ஜப்பானியர்கள் | ||
| Telugu | జపనీస్ | ||
| Urdu | جاپانی | ||
| The name 'جاپانی' (Japanese) for Japan is derived from the Malay language, where it means 'land of the rising sun'. | |||
Japanese in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 日本 | ||
| "日本"（日文）这个词在中文里的词源或其他含义： | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 日本 | ||
| 日本在中文的本意為『太陽升起之處』，也是中國古人對日本列島的稱呼。 | |||
| Japanese | 日本人 | ||
| 「日本人」は本質を表す漢字と国を表す「人」が組み合わさってできており、「日の本の人」を意味する。 | |||
| Korean | 일본어 | ||
| "Japanese" is the Sino-Korean reading of the word whereas the native Korean reading is "일본어." | |||
| Mongolian | япон | ||
| The Mongolian word 'Япон' ('Japanese') can also be used to refer to any foreigner or Westerner who lives in Mongolia. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ဂျပန် | ||
| The word "ဂျပန်" in Myanmar (Burmese) is derived from the Malay word "Javanese" and also refers to the island of Java. | |||
Japanese in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | jepang | ||
| "Jepang" dalam bahasa Indonesia juga merujuk pada tanaman sejenis pohon pinus, "Jepang" merupakan pohon cemara yang tinggi dengan daun yang selalu hijau. | |||
| Javanese | wong jepang | ||
| The word "Wong Jepang" has multiple meanings in Javanese, including "Japanese," "people from the East" and "foreigners." | |||
| Khmer | ជនជាតិជប៉ុន | ||
| Japanese is also referred to as សមុទ្រទឹកមặn (Salt Water) in reference to how the Japanese arrived to Cambodia through the sea. | |||
| Lao | ຍີ່ປຸ່ນ | ||
| ຍີ່ປຸ່ນ is also used to refer to a type of Laotian fabric with a characteristic geometric pattern. | |||
| Malay | orang jepun | ||
| The Malay word "Orang Jepun" can also refer to a type of traditional herbal medicine. | |||
| Thai | ญี่ปุ่น | ||
| นิรุกติศาสตร์ของญี่ปุ่นอาจมาจากภาษาสเปน "Xapón (อ่าน: ฆา-โปน)" หรือ "Yapón" ที่แปลมาอีกต่อจากภาษามลายู "Japang"} | |||
| Vietnamese | tiếng nhật | ||
| Tiếng Nhật "Nhật" lấy gốc từ Hán tự 日 chỉ mặt trời mang ý nghĩa là đất nước mặt trời mọc. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hapon | ||
Japanese in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | yapon | ||
| The word "Yapon" in Azerbaijani also refers to "camomile" and is thought to be derived from the Persian word "Yaban" meaning "wild". | |||
| Kazakh | жапон | ||
| The word "жапон" can also refer to a type of fabric or a style of clothing in Kazakh. | |||
| Kyrgyz | жапончо | ||
| Жапончо (Japanese) is also a slang term for a person who drinks alcohol excessively. | |||
| Tajik | ҷопонӣ | ||
| Ҷопонӣ (Japanese) is also used in Tajik to describe a type of pear. | |||
| Turkmen | japaneseaponlar | ||
| Uzbek | yapon | ||
| "Yapon" also means "flat" or "plain" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | ياپون | ||
Japanese in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kepanī | ||
| The word "Kepanī" derives from the Cantonese word "Gabanī" (Japanese). | |||
| Maori | hapanihi | ||
| The word "Hapanihi" comes from the Maori word "hapani", meaning "to be astonished or surprised," and "hi" meaning "to breath". | |||
| Samoan | iapani | ||
| The word "Iapani" is a borrowing from the English word "Japan". | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | japanese | ||
Japanese in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | japonés aru | ||
| Guarani | japonés ñe’ẽ | ||
Japanese in International Languages
| Esperanto | japano | ||
| "Japano" is a word borrowed from Esperanto based on the Dutch "japan" form of the country's name. | |||
| Latin | iaponica | ||
| "Iaponica" also refers to various plants originating from East Asia. | |||
Japanese in Others Languages
| Greek | ιαπωνικά | ||
| "Ιαπωνικά" is the plural of "Ιαπωνικόν", which comes from the Greek word for "Ιάπων" (Japan), which itself comes from the Malay "Japang", meaning "land of the rising sun." | |||
| Hmong | japanese | ||
| Japanese is also called Yawgsu or Yawgsuj (meaning 'land in the East Sea'). | |||
| Kurdish | japonî | ||
| The word "Japonî" can also refer to a type of traditional Kurdish dance. | |||
| Turkish | japonca | ||
| Japonca, Türkçe'de "japon" sıfatının "-ce" eki eklenmesiyle oluşturulmuştur. | |||
| Xhosa | isijaphani | ||
| The term 'IsiJaphani' is derived from the Zulu word 'Japane', which means 'from Japan', with 'isi' being the Xhosa prefix for languages. | |||
| Yiddish | יאַפּאַניש | ||
| This word likely originates from the Chinese pronunciation of the word for Japan, where it was pronounced 'Zipun' during the Tang Dynasty. | |||
| Zulu | isijapane | ||
| The term 'IsiJapane' may also refer to the Japanese language or Japanese customs. | |||
| Assamese | জাপানীজ | ||
| Aymara | japonés aru | ||
| Bhojpuri | जापानी के बा | ||
| Dhivehi | ޖަޕާނު މީހުންނެވެ | ||
| Dogri | जापानी | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | hapon | ||
| Guarani | japonés ñe’ẽ | ||
| Ilocano | hapones | ||
| Krio | japanese pipul dɛn | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | ژاپۆنی | ||
| Maithili | जापानी | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯖꯄꯥꯅꯤꯖ ꯑꯣꯏꯕꯥ꯫ | ||
| Mizo | japanese tawng a ni | ||
| Oromo | afaan jaappaan | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଜାପାନିଜ୍ | ||
| Quechua | japonés simi | ||
| Sanskrit | जापानी | ||
| Tatar | япон | ||
| Tigrinya | ጃፓናዊ | ||
| Tsonga | xijapani | ||