<p>日 means "Sun"</p>

<p>本 means "origin"</p>

<blockquote>
  <p><a href="http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/410/" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/410/</a></p>
  
  <p>日本 Japan</p>
  
  <p>jat6 bun2   (jyutping)</p>
  
  <p>ri4 ben3, lv4 ben3   (pinyin)</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Japanese pronunciation of 日本 is /ni pon/ (Nippon), </p>

<p>Chinese use the Japanese Kanji 日本 and pronounce it as Chinese characters. </p>

<ul>
<li>Cantonese pronounce it as /jat6 bun2/ </li>
<li>Mandarin pronounce it as /ri4 ben3/ or / lv4 ben3/ </li>
</ul>

<p>The Cantonese pronunciation of 日本 is in deed more similar to /jih pun/ than the Mandarin pronunciation does.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-04T06:21:28.820Z
Thanks, maybe the transliteration is very old, or from some other South China language. jat bun does come close to jih pun.
Gangosa
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-04T03:26:59.930Z
2016-11-04T09:48:10.493Z
2016-11-04T09:48:10.493Z
Tang Ho
<p>Looking up the origin of pun, I came across this for the origin of Japan. I suspect jih pun must be Cantonese. Tang Ho, as resident Cantonese expert, is that so??</p>

<p><a href="http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=pun" rel="nofollow noreferrer">http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=pun</a></p>

<p>Japan: 1570s, via Portuguese Japao, Dutch Japan, acquired in Malacca from Malay Japang, from Chinese <strong>jih pun</strong>, literally "sunrise" (equivalent of Japanese Nippon), from jih "sun" + pun "origin." Japan lies to the east of China. Earliest form in Europe was Marco Polo's Chipangu.</p>

CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-11-04T22:55:03.217Z
What do you think?
Gangosa
<vocabulary>
Was "jih pun"- an origin of "Japan", came from Cantonese?
# Was "jih pun"- an origin of "Japan", came from Cantonese?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2016-11-04)

Looking up the origin of pun, I came across this for the origin of Japan. I suspect jih pun must be Cantonese. username_1, as resident Cantonese expert, is that so??

<http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&search=pun>

Japan: 1570s, via Portuguese Japao, Dutch Japan, acquired in Malacca from Malay Japang, from Chinese **jih pun**, literally "sunrise" (equivalent of Japanese Nippon), from jih "sun" + pun "origin." Japan lies to the east of China. Earliest form in Europe was Marco Polo's Chipangu.

**Tags:** vocabulary

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: What do you think?  

---

## 1 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2016-11-04. Score: 3

日 means "Sun"

本 means "origin"

> <http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/410/>
>
> 日本 Japan
>
> jat6 bun2 (jyutping)
>
> ri4 ben3, lv4 ben3 (pinyin)

Japanese pronunciation of 日本 is /ni pon/ (Nippon),

Chinese use the Japanese Kanji 日本 and pronounce it as Chinese characters.

* Cantonese pronounce it as /jat6 bun2/
* Mandarin pronounce it as /ri4 ben3/ or / lv4 ben3/

The Cantonese pronunciation of 日本 is in deed more similar to /jih pun/ than the Mandarin pronunciation does.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: Thanks, maybe the transliteration is very old, or from some other South China language. jat bun does come close to jih pun.  

---

