Define:日本

Cantonese

simpl. and trad.
日本

Proper noun

日本 (jyutping jat6 bun2, Yale yat6 bun2)

Japan

Japanese

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
日	本
にち > に Grade: 1	ほん Grade: 1
Irregular

Coined in Japan o Sinic elements, as compoond o 日 (nichi, “sun”) +‎ 本 (hon, “origin”). The hon element wis likely pronoonced /poɴ/ when first coined. Ower time, the initial /p/ lenitit, eventually acomin the /h/ soond in modren Japanese.

/nitipoɴ/ → /nippoɴ/ → /niɸoɴ/ → /nihoɴ/

Pronunciation

Kan'yōyomi
/ni.ho.ɴ/
日本 (help·info)

Proper noun

日本 (hiragana にほん, rōmaji Nihon)

Japan
- 1603–1604: Nippo Jisho (page 463)
  Nifon ニホン (日本) 日本.

Derived terms

日本人 (にほんじん, nihonjin): a Japanese person, Japanese fowk
日本語 (にほんご, nihongo): the Japanese leid

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
日	本
にち > にっ Grade: 1	ほん > ぽん Grade: 1
on'yomi

/nitpoɴ/ > /nippoɴ/

Pronunciation

On'yomi
/ni.p.po.ɴ/
日本 (help·info)

Proper noun

日本 (hiragana にっぽん, rōmaji Nippon)

Japan
- 1603–1604: Nippo Jisho (page 466)
  Nippon ニッポン（日本） Fino moto. (日の本) 日本.

Etymology 3

Kanji in this term
日	本
じつ > じっ Grade: 1	ほん > ぽん Grade: 1
on'yomi

/zitpon/ > /zippon/ > /d͡ʑippon/

/zit͡ɕi, zit͡su/ are the kan'on readins o 日, as compared tae the goon readin /nit͡ɕi/.

Pronunciation

On'yomi
/d͡ʑi.p.po.ɴ/

Proper noun

日本 (hiragana じっぽん, rōmaji Jippon)

(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.
  
  (The quoted ii in iippon is the 16t century Portuguese romanization representin [ji].)