LOANWORD

In Japanese, foreign country names are typically written in Katakana. Yet Cameroon has unusual forms: “喀麦隆” and “喀麥隆” in Kanji. These are evidence of Chinese phonetic influence on Japanese, providing insights into the shared linguistic history of East Asia.

Today, Seoul’s only official name is the native Korean word “서울”. Yet in Chinese and some other languages, the characters “首爾” are still used. This article explores why this difference exists by examining history and culture.

For Japanese people, Beijing represents two different faces. On one hand, it is an ancient capital filled with cultural treasures such as the Forbidden City and the Great Wall. On the other, it is a fast-developing global metropolis that impresses with skyscrapers and advanced technology. Yet, challenges such as traffic congestion and rising costs shape their view as well.

For decades, Japanese maps and textbooks labeled the country as “Ivory Coast”, reflecting the region’s history as a center of ivory trade. But the nation sought to distance itself from colonial-era labels, and now the only correct term is “Côte d’Ivoire”. This shift shows how a country’s name embodies dignity, independence, and global recognition.

Before katakana became the norm, Japan often used kanji to represent foreign names phonetically. Houston, for example, appeared as “阿西亜尼亜” and “飛有棲屯.” These spellings show how Japan balanced Chinese influence, visual style, and sound approximation when dealing with new global words.

Foreign names were once written in Japan using phonetic kanji instead of katakana. Madagascar became 「馬達加斯加」, with each character chosen to approximate the sound. By learning this, we see how Japan balanced tradition and adaptation in representing foreign words.

The old kanji form of Saudi Arabia, “沙烏地阿拉伯,” cannot be understood by literal meaning. It is based on a transliteration borrowed from Chinese and serves as an example of how Japanese historically absorbed foreign words.

Foreign readers may be surprised to learn that Chicago was once written in Japan not only as シカゴ but also as 市俄古, using kanji. This practice, called ateji, shows how Japan historically blended Western culture into its own writing system. By looking at this unique example, we can explore how Japanese adapted to foreign influences.

The term “秘露” was invented to represent the name Peru in Japanese. Its characters have no direct meaning related to the country but reflect a historical practice from the Meiji era. This article explains the background of this form, comparing it with other country name adaptations.

For foreigners, the kanji “加納” can be confusing. It is both a common Japanese surname and place name, but it was also used as an ateji for Ghana. While modern Japanese relies on katakana, old documents may still show Ghana written as 加納. This article helps clarify the difference.