Nihongo [日本語] is the answer to the question in the title, but is this the only way to say Japanese in Japanese? Are there other ways to refer to the Japanese language? What is the origin of the Japanese language? Let’s understand in this article.
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Why is Japanese Nihongo?
Just like the name of Japan, we can also refer to the Japanese language using nippongo [日本語] although it is uncommon. In fact, to understand why the Japanese language has this name, we also need to understand why Japan has this name.
Knowing this, you need to understand that any language in Japanese is written with the name of the country + go [語] which means language. This is one of the peculiarities and conveniences of the Japanese language.
The Japanese language is the only official language of the country, even having different dialects, it results in nihongo. It is estimated that over 130 million people speak the Japanese language, including a large number of foreigners.
Kokugo – The National Language of Japan
Kokugo [国語] is another official way to refer to the Japanese language. In fact, this term literally means the language of the country, so it can refer to other languages depending on the context of the history or conversation.
The term kokugo can also refer to native Japanese words (as opposed to loanwords). Kokugo is also the name of the educational subject in Japanese schools regarding the Japanese language.
It is worth remembering that the Chinese language in Japanese is Chuugoku [中国語] which uses the same ideograms with a lot of similarity in pronunciation. This happens because China in the Japanese language is Chuugoku [中国] which means central country.
Yamato Kotoba – Ancient Japanese
The word yamato kotoba [大和言葉] refers to the earlier form of Japanese spoken until the Asuka Period (538-710 AD), sometimes abbreviated as wago [和葉], but the term may have differences from the original word yamato kotoba.
Today the word can refer to Japanese poems and elegant words or to words of Japanese origin. It is not entirely correct to say that “yamato kotoba” refers to the very language spoken in Japan before Western and Chinese influence.
Generally, most auxiliary words, verbs, and adjectives that are not from the verb suru can be called yamato kotoba. In some cases, you may also find it written alternatively as yamato kotonoha [やまとことのは].
Other ways to refer to the Japanese language
Jyapaniizu [ジャパニーズ] – Western way of writing Japanese in Japanese.
Kodaigo [古代語] – Refers to ancient Japanese spoken until the Middle Ages;
Hougo [邦語] – Used to refer to someone’s native language, usually referring to Japan within the context and everyday Japanese. Often used to refer to things native to Japan or the Japanese language. See also Houbun [邦文].
Kougo [口語] – Refers to spoken Japanese, literally meaning language that comes from the mouth. Besides spoken language, it can also refer to colloquial speech or discourse.
Gendaigo [現代語] – Refers to modern language, contemporary language, and living language. It is about modern Japanese, spoken since the Meiji period or since the end of the Second World War.
Kango [漢語] – Refers to Japanese words of Chinese origin or Sino-Japanese vocabulary, can refer to ancient Chinese or Japanese language.
Nichigo [日語] – Abbreviation of the Japanese language that is rarely used or may already be considered obsolete. Literally means language of the day.
Bungo [文語] – Refers to written language or literary language. It can also be a style of classic or formal writing based on the Japanese of the Heian Period.
Hyoujungo [標準語] – Refers to standard Japanese or standard language used mainly by the government and education. A variety of language used by a group of people.
Kokuyaku [国訳] – Translation from a foreign language to Japanese.
Joudaigo [上代語] – Refers to language or ancient words spoken from the end of the 6th century to the end of the Nara period.
Yougo [洋語] – Western language or Japanese words of Western origin.
Mikunikotoba [御国言葉] – Refers to Japanese but literally means language of the kingdom (archaic);
Kogo [古語] – Obsolete language;
Sign Language in Japanese
The Japanese sign language can be written as nihonshuwa [日本手話] and abbreviated as JSL. In Japan, it is common to simply say shuwa [手話] composed with the ideograms for hand [手] and language [話].
We also have shuuwagengo [手話言語] to refer to the language and shuwabou [手話法] to refer to sign language and calligraphy. The word shuwatsuuyaku [手話通訳] refers to the interpretation of sign language or to interpreters of Japanese sign language.
I hope you enjoyed the article. If you liked it, share this curiosity with your friends on social media. For more information, check the page of the Japanese wiki.
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