日本
jat⁶ bun²
The Cantonese word for Japan is 日本 (jat⁶ bun²).
日本 is the name used for the country in East Asia.
Meaning: a country in East Asia (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The first character, 日, means 'sun'.
How do you pronounce it?
jat⁶ bun²
When do people say it?
Because the name literally translates to 'the sun's origin', Japan is often called 'the land of the rising sun'.
Did you know?
- Cantonese speakers may use the term 倭 to refer to ancient Japan in a historical context, though this term was historically considered derogatory.
- While the characters 日本 are identical to those used in Japanese, a Cantonese speaker would pronounce them as 'jat6 bun2' rather than the Japanese 'Nihon'.
- While 日本 is the official name, Cantonese speakers often refer to Japanese products or pop culture using the adjective 日系, which specifically means 'Japanese-style'.
Examples in context
- 加拿大大過日本。Canada is larger than Japan.This sentence is useful for comparing the size of Canada and 日本.Tatoeba #393381 by nickyeow, translation #63631 by CK
- 中國大過日本好多。China is much larger than Japan.This sentence is useful for noting that China is much larger than 日本.Tatoeba #403581 by nickyeow, translation #277500 by CK
- 中國大過日本二十倍。China is twenty times bigger than Japan.This sentence is useful for stating that China is twenty times larger than 日本.Tatoeba #750860 by kaenif, translation #750668 by sctld
- 37 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about their travel plans.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting你想唔想去日本玩？nei5 soeng2 m4 soeng2 heoi3 jat6 bun2 waan2?Do you want to go to Japan for fun?
- 志強 Chi Keung我想，日本好靚呀。ngo5 soeng2, jat6 bun2 hou2 leng3 aa3.I do, Japan is very beautiful.
- 雅婷 Nga Ting不如我哋下個月去啦。bat1 jyu4 ngo5 dei6 haa6 go3 jyut6 heoi3 laa1.Why don't we go next month?
- 志強 Chi Keung好呀，我依家就睇機票。hou2 aa3, ngo5 ji1 gaai1 zau6 tai2 gei1 piu1.Okay, I'll look at flight tickets now.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “japan” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
