Syria is written in katakana as “シリア” in modern Japanese, but from the Meiji to the early Showa period, it was written in kanji as “叙利亜.” This notation was not about meaning but about sound, an ateji example that illustrates how Japanese adapted foreign place names.
- The Birth and Background of the Kanji “叙利亜”
- The Meaning and Role of the Characters in “叙利亜”
- Comparison with Other Countries’ Kanji Notations
- Katakana vs. Kanji Notations
- The Spread of Ateji Culture and Japanese Characteristics
- “叙利亜” in Newspaper Articles
- Why “叙利亜” Did Not Survive While Others Did
- The Role and Meaning of “叙利亜” in Japanese
- Conclusion
The Birth and Background of the Kanji “叙利亜”
The reason Syria was written as “叙利亜” in kanji is closely tied to how Japan translated and represented foreign names during its modernization. After the Meiji Restoration, Japan urgently needed to absorb Western knowledge. One challenge was how to render place names and country names in Japanese.
At the time, katakana was not yet widely used in formal writing, while kanji was the preferred medium for intellectual and scholarly works. As a result, foreign names were often transcribed into kanji. “叙利亜” was chosen as an approximation of the Arabic “Sūriyya.” For readers of the time, kanji felt more familiar and carried academic authority.
The Meaning and Role of the Characters in “叙利亜”
Each character in “叙利亜” has its own original meaning, but here, sound was prioritized over meaning. The following table illustrates how the characters were selected to reproduce the sound of “Syria.”
| Kanji | Sound | Original Meaning | Role in Representing Syria |
|---|---|---|---|
| 叙 | Jo | To narrate, to arrange | Represents “Shi” or “Jo” |
| 利 | Ri | Benefit, advantage | Represents “Ri” |
| 亜 | A | Second, Asia | Supplements the “A” sound |
This notation does not symbolize Syria itself but was purely chosen to reproduce its sound.
Comparison with Other Countries’ Kanji Notations
Syria was not the only country given a kanji notation. Many nations were represented in the same way.
| Country (Modern Form) | Kanji Notation | Derived Sound | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| America | 亜米利加 | America | “Ame” = 亜米, “Rika” = 利加 |
| England | 英吉利 | English | “英” later became the official abbreviation |
| France | 仏蘭西 | France | “仏” is still used as an abbreviation today |
| Germany | 独逸 | Deutsch | “独” remains as an abbreviation |
| Italy | 伊太利亜 | Italia | “伊” remains in use |
While “叙利亜” disappeared, abbreviations like “英,” “仏,” “独,” and “伊” are still in use.
Katakana vs. Kanji Notations
After World War II, foreign names began to be consistently written in katakana. This shift occurred because kanji notations were complex, confusing in meaning, and lacked international consistency.
| Item | Kanji Notation | Katakana Notation | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|
| Readability | Difficult | Easy | Pronunciation is intuitive |
| Confusion with Meaning | Frequent | Rare | “亜米利加” could be misread as “Asia + rice” |
| International Consistency | Low | High | Closer to original pronunciation |
| Modern Usage | Limited to historical texts | Widely used | Standard in education and media |
As this shows, katakana proved to be more suitable for representing foreign words in modern Japanese.
The Spread of Ateji Culture and Japanese Characteristics
Notations like “叙利亜” were not limited to country names but were also used for imported items and concepts.
| Loanword | Ateji (Kanji) | Modern Notation | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee | 珈琲 | コーヒー | Still seen on café signs |
| Tobacco | 煙草 | タバコ | Common in older texts |
| Gas | 瓦斯 | ガス | Frequent in Meiji scientific texts |
Ateji was a creative method to integrate foreign culture into Japanese, and “叙利亜” emerged as part of this practice.
“叙利亜” in Newspaper Articles
The term “叙利亜” often appeared in newspapers during the early Showa period. Headlines like “叙利亜情勢緊迫” (Tension in Syria) or “叙利亜戦線拡大” (Syrian Front Expands) were common.
For Japanese readers, “叙利亜” was more than a phonetic transcription—it was a gateway to understanding international affairs. Today it feels archaic, but in its time, it carried a strong sense of scholarly and journalistic authority.
Why “叙利亜” Did Not Survive While Others Did
Unlike “英” for England or “独” for Germany, “叙利亜” did not survive as an abbreviation. The reasons can be compared in the following table:
| Country | Kanji Notation | Survived as Abbreviation | Reason |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 英吉利 | 英 | Official use in documents |
| France | 仏蘭西 | 仏 | Diplomatic and journalistic usage |
| Germany | 独逸 | 独 | Used in wartime and alliances |
| Italy | 伊太利亜 | 伊 | Common in European context |
| Syria | 叙利亜 | None | Pure phonetic transcription, no symbolic link |
“叙利亜” disappeared because it was merely phonetic and lacked symbolic or diplomatic relevance.
The Role and Meaning of “叙利亜” in Japanese
Although no longer used today, “叙利亜” still appears in historical records and old newspapers. These instances reveal how Japanese people once perceived and absorbed foreign concepts.
While “叙利亜” carried no inherent meaning, it symbolized Japan’s effort to adapt foreign sounds into its own writing system. Its disappearance highlights the transition from kanji-based ateji to the more practical katakana system.
Conclusion
The reason Syria was written in kanji as “叙利亜” was because Japanese used ateji, kanji characters assigned based on sound rather than meaning, to approximate foreign names. Each character in “叙利亜” has meaning, but here it was only used for phonetics. After World War II, katakana became the standard, and “シリア” replaced “叙利亜.”
Nevertheless, “叙利亜” remains valuable as part of the history of the Japanese language. It represents the broader ateji culture, where Japanese writers worked to understand and integrate foreign terms using their own script.
