Japanese exonyms explained

Japanese exonyms are the names of places in the Japanese language that differ from the name given in the place's dominant language.

While Japanese names of places that are not derived from the Chinese language generally tend to represent the endonym or the English exonym as phonetically accurately as possible, the Japanese terms for some place names are obscured, either because the name was borrowed from another language or because of some other obscure etymology, such as referring to England (more specifically the United Kingdom) as Japanese: イギリス (Igirisu), which is based on the Portuguese term for "English", Inglês.^[1] Exonyms for cities outside of the East Asian cultural sphere tend to be more phonetically accurate to their endonyms than the English exonyms if the endonym is significantly different from the English exonym.

The names for nations and cities that existed before major Japanese orthographic reforms in the Meiji era usually have ateji, or kanji characters used solely to represent pronunciation. However, the use of ateji today has become far less common, as katakana has largely taken over the role of phonetically representing words of non-Sino-Japanese origin. As significant differences exist between the pronunciations of the Chinese and Japanese languages, many of the ateji terms for the exonyms of foreign, non-Sinitic terms are unrecognizable in Chinese, and likewise, since some of the ateji terms derived from Chinese, the aforementioned terms do not match the Japanese on or kun readings for the pronunciation of the given kanji.

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	Archaic, obsolete
	Rare
-	Does not exist
	Does not exist, but kept on list for linguistic interest, or to prevent common errors.

Afghanistan

(Afuganisutan (Japanese: アフガニスタン))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Kabul		Kābol (کابل‎)	Dari
		Kābəl (کابل‎)	Pashto

Algeria

(Arujeria (Japanese: アルジェリア))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Algiers		Dzayer (ⴷⵣⴰⵢⴻ)	Kabyle
		Al-jazāʾir (الجزائر‎)	Arabic
Constantine		Kasantina (ⵇⵙⴻⵏⵟⵉⵏⴰ)	Kabyle
		Qusanṭīna (قُسَنْطِينَة)	Arabic
Oran		Wehran (ⵡⴻⵂⵔⴰⵏ)	Kabyle
		Wahrān (وَهْرَان)	Arabic

Australia

(Ōsutoraria (Japanese: オーストラリア), Gōshū (Japanese: 豪州))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Coral Sea		Coral Sea	English	Translation from English
Thursday Island		Thursday Island	English	Translation from English

Brazil

(Burajiru (Japanese: ブラジル, Japanese: 伯剌西爾))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Brasília		Brasília	Portuguese
Curitiba		Curitiba	Portuguese
Rio de Janeiro		Rio de Janeiro	Portuguese
São Paulo		São Paulo	Portuguese

Cambodia

(Kambojia (Japanese: カンボジア, Japanese: 柬埔寨))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Phnom Penh		Phnom Penh (Central Khmer: ភ្នំពេញ)	Khmer
Siem Reap		Siĕm-réap (Central Khmer: សៀមរាប)	Khmer
Sihanoukville		Krong Preah Sihanouk (Central Khmer: ក្រុងព្រះសីហនុ)	Khmer	Based on English

China

(Chūgoku (Japanese: 中国))
English name	Japanese name(s)		Endonym		Notes
	Not On'yomi	On'yomi	Name	Language
Beijing	^[2] Hokkin^[3]	(Hokkyō)^[4]		Mandarin	Pekin same as Japanese pronunciation of historical English exonym
Chengdu		Seito	Chéngdū	Mandarin	Transcription based on Mandarin pronunciation
Changchun		Chōshun	Chángchūn (Chinese: 长春)	Mandarin
Chongqing		Jūkei	Chóngqìng (Chinese: 重庆)	Mandarin
Mount Everest			Everest	English	Transcriptions based on English
			Zhūmùlǎngmǎ Fēng (Chinese: 珠穆朗瑪峰)	Chinese	Transcriptions based on Tibetan
			Chomolungma (Tibetan: ཇོ་མོ་གླང་མ)	Tibetan
			Sagaramāthā (Nepali: सगरमाथा)	Nepali	Transcriptions based on Nepali
Dalian		Dairen	Dàlián (Chinese: 大连)	Mandarin
Guangdong		(Kōtō)	Guǎngdōng (Chinese: 广东)	Mandarin	Transcription based on historical English exonym
			Gwong2dung1	Cantonese
Guangzhou		Kōshū	Guǎngzhōu (Chinese: 广州)	Mandarin
			Gwong2zau1	Cantonese
Guilin		Keirin	Guìlín	Mandarin
			Gveilinz	Zhuang
Han River (Hubei)			Hàn Jiāng (Chinese: 汉江)	Mandarin
			Hàn Shǔi (Chinese: 汉水)	Mandarin
Harbin	Harubin (Japanese: ハルビン) Harupin (Japanese: ハルピン) (Japanese: 哈爾浜, Japanese: 哈爾賓^[5]

||Hā'ěrbīn (Chinese: 哈尔滨)|Mandarin||-||Kharbin (Russian: Харбин)^[5] |Russian||-||Halbin |Manchu||-| rowspan="2" |Hohhot| rowspan="2" |||Hūhéhàotè (Chinese: 呼和浩特)|Mandarin||-||Kökekhota |Mongolian||-|Hong Kong|^[6] |(Kōkō)^{[7] [8]} |Hoeng1gong2|Cantonese|Honkon based on English exonym|-|Macau|||Ou3mun2|Cantonese|Makao based on Portuguese exonym|-|Nanjing|^[2] |(Nankyō)|Nánjīng|Mandarin|Nankin same as Japanese pronunciation of historical English exonym^[2] |-|Ningxia||Neika|Níngxià (Chinese: 宁夏)|Mandarin||-|Qingdao||(Seitō)|Qīngdǎo (Chinese: 青岛)|Mandarin|Not to be confused with Aoshima, two different islands in Japan spelled with the same kanji|-|Shaanxi|(Shānshī)||Shǎnxī (Chinese: 陕西)|Mandarin|As the transcriptions for Shanxi and Shaanxi are indistinguishable in Japanese (since the only way to distinguish the two in Mandarin is the tone of the first syllable), it is more common to use the on-yomi as they are distinguishable from each other|-| rowspan="2" |Shanghai| rowspan="2" |^[4] | rowspan="2" |Jōkai^{[2] [9] [4]} |Shànghǎi|Mandarin||-|Zaan²² he⁴⁴|Wu||-|Shanxi|(Shanshī)||Shānxī|Mandarin|As the transcriptions for Shanxi and Shaanxi are indistinguishable in Japanese (since the only way to distinguish the two in Mandarin is the tone of the first syllable), it is more common to use the on-yomi as they are distinguishable from each other|-|Shenzhen||Shinsen (Japanese: 深圳, Japanese: 深セン)|Shēnzhèn|Mandarin||-|Tai Po District (Hong Kong)||Taiho|Daai6bou3|Cantonese|Based on Cantonese pronunciation|-|Tianjin||Tenshin|Tiānjīn|Mandarin|Not to be confused with native Japanese word amatsu, written using the same kanji.^[10] |-|Tap Mun (Hong Kong)||Tōmonshū|Taap mùhn Jāu|Cantonese|Transcription based on Cantonese pronunciation|-| rowspan="2" |Tibet| rowspan="2" || rowspan="2" ||Xīzàng (Chinese: 西藏)|Mandarin|Transcription based on English exonym Tibet|-|Bod (Tibetan: བོད)|Tibetan||-| rowspan="2" |Ürümqi| rowspan="2" || rowspan="2" ||Wūlǔmùqí (Chinese: 乌鲁木齐)|Mandarin| rowspan="2" |Transcription based on Mandarin or Uyghur pronunciation|-|Ürümçi (Uighur; Uyghur: ئۈرۈمچى)|Uyghur|-| rowspan="2" |Xiamen|Amoi (Japanese: アモイ, Japanese: 厦門, Japanese: 廈門)||Ē-mûi|Hokkien|Based on historical English exonym Amoy|-|Shāmen||Xiàmén (Chinese: 厦门)|Mandarin|Based on Mandarin pronunciation|-|Xi'an||Seian |Xī'ān|Mandarin||-|Xinjiang||Shinkyō |Xīnjiāng|Mandarin||-| rowspan="2" |Yangtze||^[11] |Cháng Jiāng (Chinese: 长江)|Mandarin||-|^[12] |(Yōshikō)|Yángzǐ Jiāng (Chinese: 扬子江)|Mandarin||}

For place names derived from the Chinese language, Japanese typically uses the kanji equivalents of the Chinese characters that make up their respective endonyms, albeit with a Sino-Japanese pronunciation called on readings. Some place names, however, also have an approximate pronunciation (or transcription) of a historical English exonym if the area is internationally well-known, such as Beijing and Hong Kong, and such transcriptions tend to be more common than the on-yomi or the Mandarin transcriptions. Most place names derived from Mandarin also have a Japanese transcription of the Mandarin pronunciation.

One detail to be noted, however, is that for the names of certain districts or areas in Hong Kong and Macau, the pronunciations of the Japanese transcriptions typically try to imitate the Cantonese pronunciation instead of the Mandarin pronunciation.

The Chinese characters for the endonyms above are simplified Chinese characters and will only appear in the table above if they differ from the kanji shinjitai (the current set of Japanese kanji). Most transcriptions above can be written either in kanji or katakana.

Czech Republic

(Cheko (Japanese: チェコ))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Pilsen		Plzeň	Czech
Prague		Praha	Czech

Denmark

(Denmāku (Japanese: デンマーク, Japanese: 丁抹))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Billund		Billund	Danish
Copenhagen		København	Danish	Transcription based on English Copenhagen^[13]

Egypt

(Ejiputo (Japanese: エジプト, Japanese: 埃及))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Alexandria		al-ʾIskandariyya (Arabic: الإسكندرية‎)	Standard Arabic
		Eskendereyya (Arabic: اسكندرية‎)	Egyptian Arabic
Cairo		al-Qāhirah (Arabic: القاهرة)	Standard Arabic
		Maṣr (Arabic: مَصر)	Egyptian Arabic
Nile		an-Nil (Arabic: النيل)	Standard Arabic
		en-Nīl (Arabic: النيل)	Egyptian Arabic

Germany

(Doitsu (Japanese: ドイツ, Japanese: 独逸))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Berlin		Berlin	German
Cologne		Köln	German
Dresden	Doresuden (ドレスデン)	Dresden	German
Frankfurt		Frankfurt am Main	German
Hamburg		Hamburg	German
Hanover	Hanōbā (ハノーバー)Hanōfā (ハノーファー)	Hannover	German
Munich		München	German

Greece

(Girisha (Japanese: ギリシャ, Japanese: 希臘))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Athens		Athína (Αθήνα)	Greek
Corinth		Kórinthos (Κόρινθος)	Greek
Crete		Kríti (Κρήτη)	Greek
Marathon		Marathónios (Μαραθώνιος)	Greek	Based on English exonym
Olympia		Olympía (Ολυμπία)	Greek
Filippoi		Fílippi (Φίλιπποι)	Greek
Santorini		Thíra (Θήρα)	Greek
Sparta		Spárti (Σπάρτη)	Greek	Based on English
Thebes		Thíva (Θήβα)	Greek
Thessalonica		Thessaloníki (Θεσσαλονίκη)	Greek

India

(Indo (Japanese: インド, Japanese: 印度))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Bangalore		(Kannada: ಬೆಂಗಳೂರು)	Kannada
Chennai		(Tamil: சென்னை)	Tamil
Ganges		(Hindi: गंगा)	Hindi	Based on English exonym
Hyderabad		(Telugu: హైదరాబాదు)	Telugu
Kolkata		Kôlkata (Bengali: কলকাতা)	Bengali
Mumbai		(Marathi: मुंबई)	Marathi
New Delhi		(Hindi: नई दिल्ली)	Hindi	Based on English exonym

Since India is home to many different languages and English is an official language in the country, Japanese exonyms are largely based on the English exonyms. The English exonyms are also familiar to many Indians.

Ireland

(Airurando (Japanese: アイルランド, Japanese: 愛蘭))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Dublin		Baile Átha Cliath	Irish
		Dublin	English

Israel

Isuraeru (Japanese: イスラエル, Japanese: 以色列)
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Dead Sea	^[14]	Yam ha-Melah (Hebrew: ים המלח)	Hebrew	Translation of "Dead Sea"
Jerusalem		Yerushaláyim (Hebrew: ירושלים)	Hebrew
Nazareth		Natsrat (Hebrew: נצרת)	Hebrew

Italy

(Itaria (Japanese: イタリア, Japanese: 伊太利亜, Japanese: 伊太利))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Florence		Firenze	Italian	Furōrensu based on English exonym
Venice		Venezia	Italian	Benisu/Venisu from English work of Shakespeare

Japanese exonyms for Italian place names are generally based on the Italian pronunciation rather than English exonyms.

Kazakhstan

(Kazafusutan (Japanese: カザフスタン))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Almaty		Almatı (Алматы)	Kazakh
Astana		Astana (Астана)	Kazakh

Laos

(Raosu (Japanese: ラオス, Japanese: 羅宇, Japanese: 老檛'''))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Luang Prabang		Luangphabang (ຫລວງພະບາງ, ຫຼວງພະບາງ)	Lao	Exonym based on actual Lao pronunciation rather than spelling
Vientiane		Viangchan (ວຽງຈັນ)	Lao	Exonym based on English pronunciation

Malaysia

Marēshia (Japanese: マレーシア, Japanese: 馬来西亜)
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Borneo		Borneo	Malay
Johor Bahru		Johor Bahru	Malay
Kuala Lumpur		Kuala Lumpur	Malay
Penang	(Former)	Pulau Pinang	Malay
Putrajaya		Putrajaya	Malay

Mexico

(Mekishiko (Japanese: メキシコ, Japanese: 墨西哥))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Ciudad Juárez		Ciudad Juárez	Spanish
Cancún		Cancún	Spanish
Mexico City		Ciudad de México	Spanish	Based on the English exonym
Monterrey		Monterrey	Spanish
Oaxaca		Oaxaca	Spanish
Puebla		Puebla	Spanish
Puerto Vallarta		Puerto Vallarta	Spanish
Tijuana		Tijuana	Spanish	Tiwana from English pronunciation
Veracruz		Veracruz	Spanish

Myanmar

(Myanmā (Japanese: ミャンマー), ^[15])
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Bagan		Pu.gam (Burmese: ပုဂံ)	Burmese
Naypyidaw		Ne-pranytau (Burmese: နေပြည်တော်)	Burmese
Yangon		Rankun (ရန်ကုန်)	Burmese

Netherlands

(Oranda (Japanese: オランダ, Japanese: 阿蘭陀, Japanese: 和蘭))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Amsterdam		Amsterdam	Dutch
The Hague		Den Haag	Dutch
Rotterdam		Rotterdam	Dutch

New Zealand

(Nyūjīrando (Japanese: ニュージーランド))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		North Island			North Island	English	Translation from English
South Island		South Island	English	Translation from English

North Korea

(Kita-Chōsen (Japanese: 北朝鮮))
English name	Japanese name		Endonym		Notes
	Not on-yomi	On-yomi	Name	Language
Kaesong		Kaijō	Kaesŏng (Korean: 개성)	Korean
Paektu Mountain	^[16]		Paekdusan (Korean: 백두산)	Korean	On'yomi transcriptions based on Korean and Mandarin Chinese Changbai respectively.
Pyongyang		Heijō	P'yŏngyang (Korean: 평양)	Korean
Sinuiju		Shingishū	Sinŭiju (Korean: 신의주)	Korean
Tumen River		Tōmankō	Duman'gang (Korean: 두만강)	Korean
Yalu River			Amrokkang (Korean: 압록강)	Korean

Pakistan

(Pakisutan (Japanese: パキスタン, Japanese: 巴基斯坦)
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Islamabad		Islāmābād (Urdu: اسلام آباد)	Urdu
Karachi		Karācī (Urdu: کراچی‎)	Urdu
Lahore		Lāhaur (لاہور)	Urdu

Philippines

(Firipin (Japanese: フィリピン, 比律賓), Hitō (Japanese: 比島))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Albay		Albay	Bikol
Bangsamoro		Bangsamoro	Malay
Camarines Norte		Camarines Norte	Spanish
Camarines Sur		Camarines Sur	Spanish
Catanduanes		Catanduanes	Bikol, Spanish
Legazpi		Legazpi	Spanish, Bikol
Manila		Maynila	Tagalog	Based on English exonym
Masbate		Masbate	Bikol
Sorsogon		Sorsogon	Bikol

Poland

(Pо̄rando (Japanese: ポーランド, Japanese: 波蘭))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Warsaw		Warszawa	Polish
				Transcription based on English Warsaw

Portugal

(Porutogaru (Japanese: ポルトガル, Japanese: 葡萄牙))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Lisbon		Lisboa	Portuguese	Based on English exonym
Porto		Porto	Portuguese	Based on English exonym

Russia

(Roshia (Japanese: ロシア, Japanese: 露西亜), Rokoku (Japanese: 露国))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Grozny		Groznyj (Грозный)	Russian
		Sölƶa-Ġala (Соьлжа-ГӀала)	Chechen
Korsakov		Korsakov (Корса́ков)	Russian
Kurilsk		Kurilsk (Кури́льск)	Russian
Moscow		Moskva (Москва)	Russian
Sakhalin		Сахалин (Sakhalin)	Russian
Siberia		Sibir' (Сибирь)	Russian
Vladivostok		Vladivostok (Владивосток)	Russian
Yekaterinburg		Ekaterinburg (Екатеринбург)	Russian
Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk		Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk (Южно-Сахалинск)	Russian

Saudi Arabia

(Saujiarabia (Japanese: サウジアラビア))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Mecca		Makkah (Arabic: مكة)	Arabic
Medina		Madinah (Arabic: مدينة)	Arabic
Riyadh		Riyadh (Arabic: رياض)	Arabic

South Africa

(Minami Afurika (Japanese: 南アフリカ), Nan'a (Japanese: 南亜))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Cape of Good Hope		Cape of Good Hope	English	Translation of Cape of Hope
		Kaap die Goeie Hoop	Afrikaans
Johannesburg		Johannesburg	Afrikaans	Based on Afrikaans pronunciation

South Korea

(Kankoku (Japanese: 韓国))
English name	Japanese name		Endonym	Notes
	Not on-yomi	On-yomi
Busan		Fuzan	Busan (Korean: 부산)
Gangnam		Kōnan	Gangnam (Korean: 강남)
Han River (Korea)		Kankō	Hangang (Korean: 한강)
Incheon		Jinsen	Incheon (Korean: 인천)
Itaewon		Ritai'in	Itaewon (Korean: 이태원)
Jeju		Saishū	Jeju (Korean: 제주)
Pyeongchang		Heishō	Pyeongchang (Korean: 평창)
Seoul			Seoul (Korean: 서울)	Souru usually only written in katakana

While most South Korean place names are derived from words in the Chinese language, Japanese can refer to a Korean place name using Japanese on-yomi (is in Japanese) or a pronunciation that imitates the Korean endonym name as closely as possible (is or in Japanese). Many place names in Korea have at least two of the pronunciations, the first being based on the Japanese on-yomi or kun-yomi and the second being based on the Korean endonym, with the latter being made so that the Japanese could navigate and ask for directions more clearly to native Koreans. Korean-based pronunciations are usually written in katakana.

Spain

(Supein (Japanese: スペイン, Japanese: 西班牙))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Barcelona		Barcelona	Spanish
			Catalan
Basque Country		País Vasco	Spanish
		Euskal Herria	Basque
Madrid		Madrid	Spanish
Granada		Granada	Spanish
Seville		Sevilla	Spanish
Valencia		Valencia	Spanish

Switzerland

(Suisu (Japanese: スイス, Japanese: 瑞西))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Bern		Bern	German
Geneva		Genève	French
Lausanne		Lausanne	French
Zürich		Zürich	German

Taiwan

(Taiwan (Japanese: 台湾))
English name	Japanese name		Endonym		Notes
	Non on-yomi	On-yomi	Name	Language
Kaohsiung	^[17] Kaoshun	(Kōyū)	Gāoxióng	Mandarin	Takao is based on the Siraya name for the city.^[18]
			Ko-hiông	Taiwanese Hokkien
			Kô-hiùng	Hakka
Kinmen Quemoy		Kinmon	Jīnmén	Mandarin
			Kim-mn̂g-koān	Taiwanese Hokkien
			Kîm-mùn-yen	Hakka
Taichung	Taitson	Taichū	Táizhōng (Chinese: 臺中)	Mandarin	Transcriptions based on Mandarin pronunciation and Chinese postal romanization, respectively
			Tâi-tiong	Taiwanese Hokkien
			Thòi-chûng	Hakka
Tainan			Táinán (Chinese: 臺南)	Mandarin
			Tâi-lâm	Taiwanese Hokkien
			Thòi-nàm	Hakka
Taipei		Taihoku	Táiběi (Chinese: 臺北)	Mandarin	Transcription based on Chinese postal romanization
			Tâi-pak	Taiwanese Hokkien
			Thòi-pet	Hakka
Taitung		Taitō	Táidōng (Chinese: 臺東)	Mandarin	Transcription based on Mandarin pronunciation
			Tâi-tang	Taiwanese Hokkien
			Thòi-tûng	Hakka

Similar to Chinese exonyms, Japanese can either use a transcription based on Mandarin or the Japanese on-yomi of the endonym. However, there are some Japanese place names that are unrelated to the Chinese name of the place, but are actually based on the Taiwanese aboriginal languages.

Thailand

(Tai (Japanese: タイ, Japanese: 泰))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Ayutthaya		Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya (พระนครศรีอยุธยา)	Thai
Bangkok		Krung Thep Maha Nakhon (กรุงเทพมหานคร)	Thai	Based on English exonym
Chiang Mai		Chiang Mai (เชียงใหม่)	Thai
Chiang Rai		Chiang Rai (เชียงราย)	Thai
Hua Hin		Hua Hin (หัวหิน)	Thai
Krabi		Krabi (กระบี่)	Thai
Pattaya		Pattaya (พัทยา)	Thai
Phi Phi Islands		Mu Ko Phi Phi (หมู่เกาะพีพี)	Thai
Phuket		Phuket (ภูเก็ต)	Thai
Sukhothai		Sukhothai (สุโขทัย)	Thai

Turkey

(Toruko (Japanese: トルコ, Japanese: 土耳古))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Ankara		Ankara	Turkish
Cappadocia		Kapadokya	Turkish	Based on English exonym^[19]
Tarsus		Tarsus	Turkish
Istanbul		İstanbul	Turkish
Izmir		İzmir	Turkish

United Arab Emirates

(Arabu Shuchōkoku Renpō (Japanese: アラブ首長国連邦^[20])
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Abu Dhabi		Abu Dhabi (Arabic: أبوظبي)	Standard Arabic
Dubai		Dubayy (Arabic: دبي)	Standard Arabic

United Kingdom

(Igirisu (Japanese: イギリス, Japanese: 英吉利), Egeresu (Japanese: エゲレス), Eikoku (Japanese: 英国), Rengō Ōkoku (Japanese: 連合王国))
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		width=400pt rowspan="2"	Notes
		Name	Language
Belfast		Belfast	English
		Béal Feirste	Irish
Cardiff		Cardiff	English
		Caerdydd	Welsh
Edinburgh		Edinburgh	English	Based on the Received Pronunciation of the name as opposed to the Scots pronunciation
			Scots
Northern Ireland		Northern Ireland	English
		Tuaisceart Éirean	Irish Gaelic
		Norlin Airlann	Ulster-Scots
Oxford	Okkusufōdo (Japanese: オックスフォード, Japanese: 牛津)	Oxford	English	Kanji Japanese: 牛津 is based on the Chinese name for Oxford
Wales		Wales	English
		Cymru	Welsh

United States

(Amerika (Japanese: アメリカ, Japanese: 亜米利加),^[21] Beikoku (Japanese: 米国),^[22] Gasshūkoku (Japanese: 合衆国),^[23] abbreviation:)
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
California		California	English
Golden Gate Bridge		Golden Gate Bridge	English	Kimmonkyou is a translation of "Golden Gate Bridge"
Hollywood		Hollywood	English	Shōrin is a translation of "Holy Wood"
Los Angeles		Los Angeles	English	Rafu is an abbreviation adapted from a now deprecated Chinese transcription for Los Angeles.^[24]
New York City		New York City	English
Pearl Harbor		Pearl Harbor	English	Shinju-wan is a translation of "Pearl Harbor"
San Francisco		San Francisco	English
Washington, D.C.		Washington, DC	English

Vietnam

Betonamu (Japanese: ベトナム, Japanese: 越南)
English name	Japanese name	Endonym		Notes
		Name	Language
Can Tho	Kantō (カントー)	Cần Thơ (Vietnamese: 芹苴)	Vietnamese
Dalat	Daratto (ダラット)	Đà Lạt (Vietnamese: 多樂)	Vietnamese
Danang	^[25]	Đà Nẵng (Vietnamese: 沱㶞)	Vietnamese
Dien Bien Phu		Điện Biên Phủ (Vietnamese: 奠邊府)	Vietnamese
Hoi An		Hội An (Vietnamese: 會安)	Vietnamese
Haiphong		Hải Phòng (Vietnamese: 海防)	Vietnamese
Ha Long Bay		Vịnh Hạ Long (Vietnamese: 泳下龍)	Vietnamese
Hanoi		Hà Nội (Vietnamese: 河內)	Vietnamese
Hue		Huế (Vietnamese: 化)	Vietnamese
Ho Chi Minh City Saigon		Thành phố Hồ Chí Minh (Vietnamese: 城庯胡志明)	Vietnamese
	^[26]	Sài Gòn (Vietnamese: 柴棍)	Vietnamese
Nha Trang	Nyachan (ニャチャン)	Nha Trang (Vietnamese: 芽莊)	Vietnamese

See also

• Exonym and endonym
• Names of Asian cities in different languages
• Japanese place names
• List of Japanese prefectural name etymologies

References

• Nelson, Andrew N. (1962) The Modern Reader's Japanese-English Character Dictionary (Rutland, VT: Charles E. Tuttle Company)

External links

• List of countries in Ateji

Notes and References

1. Web site: Why do the Japanese call the UK 'Igirisu'?. 2015-12-04. RocketNews24. 2016-11-20.
2. Encyclopedia: 北京(ペキン) . ja:五大洲地名箋 . Placenames of the Five Continents . ja:英語箋 附録 . English wordbook Appendix . 1873 . Urabe . 宝玉堂 . Osaka, Japan . 改正増補 (Enhanced revised) . 附録 (Appendix) . ja . 10.11501/870009 . 673921511 . 卜部 .
   • Layout: Japanese word (pronunciation) – English word (pronunciation)
   • 支那 (shina) – China (chaina)
   • 北京 (pekin) – Pekin (pekin)
   • 南京 (nankin) – Nankin (nankin)
   • 廣東 (kanton) – Canton (kanton)
   • 上海 (jōkai) – Shanghae (shanhai)
   • 香港 (honkon) – Hongkong (honkon)
   • 西蔵 (shibetsū) – Tibet (shibetto)
3. Encyclopedia: Peking . Dictionary of the English, Chinese and Japanese languages . ja:英華和譯字典 . 1879 . F. Yamanouchi . Japan . Nakamura . Keiu . Tsuda . Sen . Yanagisawa . Shindai . Ooi . Kenkichi . 1 . 2 (坤) . 68 . ja . 703979665.
4. Thoughts on English from a Japanese Standpoint . Institute of Comprehensive Academic Research – Departmental Bulletin Paper(1) . Kaji . Shigeki . 2023-04-07 . 17 . . 105 . ja . ja:英語について思うこと . 1348-8465 . free . 10965/00010802.
5. Usage examples:Departmental Bulletin Paper – History and Anthropology . https://tsukuba.repo.nii.ac.jp/record/2003191/files/HA_50-1.pdf . Nakanishi . Ryotaro . 2022–02 . 50 . . 2241/0002003191 . 2022 . Japan . 7 . en . ja:20世紀前半における日本人作成のハルビン案内書と市街地図 . City maps and guidebooks Harbin made by japanese in the first half of the 20th century . 0385-4795 . free.
6. Encyclopedia: Honkon. ja:ホンコン【香港】. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. 2024-04-27. ja. kotobank.
7. Book: Ando<!--安藤-->, Masatsugu<!--正次--> . 1929-03-15 . 廣文堂 (Kōbundō) . Tokyo, Japan . 175 . ja . Introductory Japanese linguistics . https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/1871523/1/97 . ja:国語学概説 . 672916169 . ja:北京や上海や香港を日本流に読む人はないが、直隷とか四川とかいふやうな地名は、大抵日本流の發音ですましておく。 . No pronounce 北京, 上海 or 香港 in Japanese style, but for places such as 直隷 or 四川, most people would pronounce them with standard Japanese readings..
8. Book: Peng, Fei . "Chotto" wa chotto - Pon Fei Hakushi no Nihongo no fushigi . 1994-09-01 . Kōdansha . 9784062070812 . Tokyo, Japan . 120 . ja . ja:「ちょっと」はちょっと – ポン・フェイ博士の日本語の不思議 . "Chotto" wa chotto - Doctor Pon Fei's 'Mysteries of Japanese language' . 42788922.
9. Book: Ōba<!--大庭-->, Kakō<!--柯公--> . 1917-01-21 . 至誠堂書店 . Tokyo, Japan . ja . The World as our home . ja:世界を家として . 10.11501/948876 . 673410471 . ja:上海(シヤンハイ)をジョウカイ、北京(ペキン)をホクキンと呼んだもので、巴里(パリー)もパリスと云はなければ承知しなかったものだ。 . they called 上海("shanhai") as "jōkai", and 北京("pekin") as "hokkin". For 巴里("parii"), you had to pronounce "parisu". . https://dl.ndl.go.jp/pid/948876/1/25 . free.
10. Encyclopedia: Amatsukami. ja:あまつかみ 天津神. 辞林 Jirin (a precursor of Daijirin). 1911. Sanseidō. Japan. 2021-09-05. 49. ja. 10.11501/863017. 金沢, 庄三郎, 1872-1967.
11. Encyclopedia: Chōkō. ja:チョウコウ 長江. 1932-09-30. 世界地名大辞典 (Sekaichimeidaijiten; World toponym encyclopedia). Nankosha. Tokyo, Japan. 2021-04-18. Kobayashi. Fusatarō. 2. 2. 1189. ja. 10.11501/1876511. 小林, 房太郎, 1872-1937.
12. Encyclopedia: Yōsukō. ja:ヨウスコウ 揚子江. 1935-09-30. 世界地名大辞典 (Sekaichimeidaijiten; World toponym encyclopedia). Nankosha. Tokyo, Japan. 2021-04-18. Kobayashi. Fusatarō. 2. 3. 2028. ja. 10.11501/1876523 . 小林, 房太郎, 1872-1937 .
13. Encyclopedia: Kopenhāgen. ja:コペンハーゲン. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. 2021-09-05. ja. Copenhagen. kotobank.
14. Web site: 死海. 2020-06-11. 死海. ja-US.
15. 「緬甸」("menden") can be read "biruma" but not "myanmā".
    • Encyclopedia: Menden. ja:めん‐でん【緬甸】. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. ja. kotobank.
    • Encyclopedia: Biruma. ja:ビルマ. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. ja. kotobank.
16. Encyclopedia: Hakutōsan. ja:はくとうさん 白頭山. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. 2021-09-05. ja. kotobank.
17. Encyclopedia: Kaoshun. ja:カオシュン【高雄 Gāo xióng】. 世界大百科事典 第2版 (Heibonsha World Encyclopedia) excerpt. Heibonsha. Japan. 2021-09-05. ja. kotobank.
18. Web site: 2018-12-25. Stories Behind Taiwan's Place-Names Island Folklore. 2020-12-04. Island Folklore: Taiwanese Tales & Traditions. en-CA.
19. Encyclopedia: Kappadokia. ja:カッパドキア. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. 2021-09-05. ja. Cappadocia. kotobank.
20. Web site: アラブ首長国連邦（United Arab Emirates：UAE）. 2021-06-28. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. ja.
21. Encyclopedia: Amerika. ja:アメリカ【亜米利加・亜墨利加】. meaning [2]. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. 2021-09-05. ja. kotobank.
22. Encyclopedia: Beikoku. ja:べい‐こく【米国】. meaning [2]. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. 2021-09-05. ja. kotobank.
23. Encyclopedia: Gasshūkoku. ja:がっしゅう‐こく【合衆国】. meaning [2]. 精選版 日本国語大辞典 (Nihon Kokugo Daijiten Concise edition). Shogakukan. Japan. 2021-09-05. ja. kotobank.
24. Book: 南加州日本人七十年史 . Seventy Years of History of the Japanese in Southern California . 南加日系人商業会議所 [Nikkeijin Chamber of Commerce of Southern California] . 1960 . Los Angeles . 45 . ja.
25. Web site: https://www.mofa.go.jp/mofaj/annai/zaigai/list/asia/vietnam.html. 2020-01-20. 2021-09-05. Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan. Da Nang. ja. ja:在ベトナム日本国大使館・総領事館. Embassy and Consulate-General of Japan in Vietnam. 在ダナン領事事務所 Da Nang Consular Office of Japan.
26. Encyclopedia: Saigon. ja:サイゴン. 1932. 1932-09-30. 世界地名大辞典 (Sekai chimei daijiten / World toponym encyclopedia). Nankosha. Tokyo. 2021-03-05. 2. 788. ja. 10.11501/1876511. 小林, 房太郎, 1872-1937.