In old Japanese texts, the city of Houston sometimes appears as “阿西亜尼亜” or “飛有棲屯” instead of katakana. These forms are not translations of meaning but phonetic transcriptions using kanji sounds. Understanding why such forms existed reveals how Japanese once adapted foreign words.
- The Culture of Phonetic Kanji Transcriptions for Foreign Place Names in Japan
- The Difference Between “阿西亜尼亜” and “飛有棲屯”
- Why Kanji Instead of Katakana?
- Comparing Other Kanji Transcriptions of Cities
- Evidence in Newspapers and Dictionaries
- Why These Forms Disappeared
- Why Kanji Transcriptions Were Convenient at the Time
- Conclusion
The Culture of Phonetic Kanji Transcriptions for Foreign Place Names in Japan
When Japan needed to write foreign place names, katakana was not yet the common choice. In the Meiji period, most printed materials were written mainly in kanji and hiragana, with katakana playing only a supplementary role. Therefore, when incorporating foreign names into Japanese, writers widely relied on kanji chosen for their sounds rather than their meanings.
This practice was influenced by Chinese-style transliteration. In China, names like “巴里” (Paris), “倫敦” (London), and “亜米利加” (America) were already established. Japan adopted this approach, using similar sound-based kanji transcriptions in newspapers, textbooks, and maps.
Early Examples of Kanji Transcriptions of Foreign Cities
| City | Modern Japanese | Kanji Transcription | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paris | パリ | 巴里 | Easy to memorize, visually balanced |
| London | ロンドン | 倫敦 | Spread through Chinese sources |
| America | アメリカ | 亜米利加 | Four characters, dignified look |
| Berlin | ベルリン | 伯林 | Meaning irrelevant, only sound |
Thus, what mattered most was visual neatness and phonetic accuracy.
The Difference Between “阿西亜尼亜” and “飛有棲屯”
For Houston, more than one transcription was used. The two most representative are “阿西亜尼亜” and “飛有棲屯.”
| Kanji Form | Reading | Feature |
|---|---|---|
| 阿西亜尼亜 | A-shi-a-nia (closer to “Houstonia”) | Strongly influenced by Chinese transliteration, lengthens the sound |
| 飛有棲屯 | Hi-yu-su-ton | Created within Japan; ignores meaning, only reflects sound |
In short, “阿西亜尼亜” reflects Chinese-style transcription, while “飛有棲屯” was developed domestically in Japan. Both forms focus only on reproducing sound, not on conveying semantic meaning.
Why Kanji Instead of Katakana?
Today Houston is written as “ヒューストン” in katakana, but in the past kanji was dominant. There were three main reasons:
- Chinese Influence
Since Chinese conventionally used kanji for foreign names, Japan naturally followed suit. - Authority of Kanji
Newspapers and maps of the time valued kanji for their prestige and formality. Foreign names written in kanji looked more trustworthy. - Visual Consistency
Even if readers did not know the exact pronunciation, kanji allowed them to instantly recognize a word as a foreign place name.
Comparing Other Kanji Transcriptions of Cities
Houston was not alone; many cities had similar phonetic renderings.
| City | Modern Form | Kanji Form | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| New York | ニューヨーク | 紐育 | Simplified phonetics |
| Chicago | シカゴ | 芝加哥 / 志加吾 | Multiple forms coexisted |
| San Francisco | サンフランシスコ | 三藩市 | Shortened transcription |
| Washington | ワシントン | 華盛頓 | Borrowed from Chinese usage |
Interestingly, Chinese still uses forms like 華盛頓 for Washington today, showing how widespread and persistent such transcriptions once were.
Evidence in Newspapers and Dictionaries
Old newspapers and dictionaries from the Meiji and Taisho periods still contain “飛有棲屯” or “阿西亜尼亜.” Some dictionaries even listed both forms side by side to avoid confusing readers.
Examples of Variation
| Source | Form Used | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Meiji-era geography dictionary | 阿西亜尼亜 | Adopted Chinese-influenced form |
| Taisho-era newspaper | 飛有棲屯 | Simplified form for domestic use |
| Early Showa English-Japanese dictionary | Both forms listed | Attempted to standardize |
This demonstrates that no single unified standard existed for decades.
Why These Forms Disappeared
Today, the standard is katakana. Several reasons explain why kanji phonetic transcriptions vanished:
- Hard to Guess Pronunciation
The kanji renderings made it difficult for readers to know how to say the word. - Spread of Katakana
Postwar education reforms cemented katakana as the standard for foreign names. - Increased International Exchange
Accurate pronunciation became more important, making katakana more practical. - Standardization by Media
Newspapers and publishers explicitly required katakana for foreign names, ensuring its adoption.
Why Kanji Transcriptions Were Convenient at the Time
Despite their disappearance, such kanji forms were once useful tools.
| Advantage | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Visual clarity | Readers immediately recognized it as a foreign city |
| Printing consistency | Vertical text layouts looked smoother with kanji |
| Prestige | Scholarly works and maps appeared more authoritative |
From this perspective, kanji transcriptions were a rational choice for the publishing culture of the time.
Conclusion
The use of “阿西亜尼亜” or “飛有棲屯” for Houston reflects Japan’s and China’s historical tradition of writing foreign names in kanji for sound, not meaning. These forms mirrored publishing customs, educational practices, and cultural influences of the time. Today they have disappeared, replaced by katakana, but they remain valuable evidence of how Japanese absorbed foreign words and adapted them to its writing system. For foreigners studying Japanese, they offer a fascinating insight into the language’s historical development.
