The Portuguese arrived in Japan around 1542-1543, being the first Europeans to establish a continuous and direct flow of trade between Japan and Europe. This also influenced the Japanese Language, as various products arrived in Japan during that time through the Portuguese.
Over the years, it is speculated that more than 4,000 Japanese words have been influenced by the Portuguese Language and the Portuguese. In this article, we will see a list of some of these words.
| Romaji | Kana / Kanji | Archaic Portuguese | Modern Portuguese |
|---|---|---|---|
| arukōru | アルコール | álcools | álcool |
| bateren | 伴天連 / 破天連 | padre | padre |
| bīdama | ビー玉 | vi(dro) + 玉 (dama = “ball”) | berlinde, marble |
| biidoro | ビードロ | vidro | vidro |
| birōdo | ビロード ou 天鵞絨 | veludo | veludo |
| bouro/bouru | ボーロボール | bolo | cake, ball |
| botan | ボタン釦 / 鈕 | botão | button |
| buranko | ブランコ | balanço | swing |
| charumera/charumeru | チャルメラ / 哨吶 | charamela | charamela |
| chokki | チョッキ | jaque | jacket, vest |
| furasuko | フラスコ | frasco | flask |
| iesu | イエス | Jesu | Jesus |
| igirisu | イギリス / 英吉利 | inglez | English |
| iruman | イルマン / 入満 / 伊留満 / 由婁漫 | irmão | brother |
| jouro | じょうろ / 如雨露 | jarro | jug |
| juban/jiban | じゅばん / 襦袢 | gibão | t-shirt |
| kanakin/kanekin | 金巾 / ▽かなきん / ▽かねきん | canequim | canequim |
| kantera/kandeya | カンテラ / カンデヤ | candeia, candela | candeia |
| kapitan | 甲比丹 / 甲必丹 | capitão | captain |
| kappa | 合羽 | capa | raincoat |
| karuta | かるた / 歌留多 / 加留多 / 骨牌 | cartas | playing cards |
| kasutera, kasuteera,kasuteira | カステラ | castella | sponge cake |
| kirishitan | キリシタン / 切支丹 / 吉利支丹 | christão | christian |
| kirisuto | キリスト or 基督 | Christo | Christ |
| kompeitō | 金米糖 / 金平糖 / 金餅糖 | confeito | confetti |
| koppu | コップ | copo | cup |
| kurusu | クルス | cruz | cross |
| marumero | 木瓜 or マルメロ | marmelo | quince |
| meriyasu | メリヤス / 莫大小 / 目利安 | meias | socks |
| miira | ミイラ / 木乃伊 | mirra | myrrh |
| oranda | オランダ / 和蘭(陀) / 阿蘭陀 | Hollanda | Holland |
| pan | パン / 麺麭 / 麪包 | pão | bread |
| pandoro | パンドロ | Pão-de-ló | sponge cake |
| rasha | 羅紗 | raxa | twill |
| rozario | ロザリオ | rosario | Rosary |
| sabato | サバト | sábado | Saturday |
| sarasa | 更紗 | saraça | morim |
| shabon | シャボン | sabão | soap |
| shabondama | シャボン玉 | sabão + 玉 (dama = ball) | soap bubble |
| shōro | ショーロ | choro | choro |
| shurasuko | シュラスコ | churrasco | barbecue |
| subeta | すべた / スベタ | espada | sword |
| tabako | 煙草 / 莨 | tabaco | tobacco |
| tempura | 天麩羅 / 天婦羅 | Têmporas | Têmporas |
| zabon | 朱欒 / 香欒 | zamboa | grapefruit |
Table of Contents
Curiosities
Below are some more terms of Portuguese origin (or not) that gained prominence in the Japanese language:
Tempura – The Têmporas were days of religious fasting on which Portuguese Catholics did not eat meat and fried battered vegetables and fish, foods that were normally consumed raw or cooked by the Japanese.
Iruman – Term used at the beginning of the Christianization of Japan to identify the missionary before becoming a priest.
Arigatou
Arigato does not have Portuguese origins as some think. In reality, “arigato” is the modern form of “arigatashi” from archaic Japanese, which consists of the agglutination of “Ari” from the verb “Aru” (to be, to exist) and “Katashi,” an adjective that means difficulty. In other words, I have difficulty expressing my gratitude.
The Ne of Portuguese x Ne of Japanese
This word is used to emphasize what has just been said. In Portuguese, “né” also has the same function, being a contraction of the phrase “Não é?”. However, it is very likely that it is just a coincidence.
To learn more, we recommend reading: What does ne [ね] mean in the Japanese language
I intend to expand this list soon. If you find any important missing words or any errors, please leave your comment.
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