日文
The Cantonese term for the Japanese language is 日文. Wiktionary also lists 日本話 / 日本话 and 和文 (wo⁴ man⁴).
Meaning: Japanese language (name)
Ways to say it
| Cantonese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | Note |
|---|---|---|
| 日文 | ||
| 日本話 / 日本话 | ||
| 和文 | wo⁴ man⁴ | literary |
These terms are used to name the Japanese language. When you want to refer to people from Japan, you should use a different term such as 日本人 for a Japanese person.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 日文 is a compound of 日 (meaning sun or Japan) and 文 (meaning written language, script or culture).
Which one should you use?
日文 is the most common way to refer to the Japanese language in daily conversation. In contrast, 日本話 is used to refer to the spoken language. For more formal or literary contexts, such as referring to Japanese texts, you can use 和文.
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
和文 is a literary term. If you are referring to a person from Japan, 日本人 is the formal way to say it, whereas 日本仔 is an informal way to refer to a Japanese guy.
Related words
Did you know?
- The term 和文 uses the character 和, which represents 'harmony' and is the traditional name for Japan in classical Chinese texts.
- The term 日文 is a shorthand that English speakers might find counterintuitive because it literally translates to 'Sun Script'.
- In Cantonese, the character 文 does not just mean 'text' but can encompass the entire 'culture' or 'civilization' of the Japanese people.
Examples in context
- 我識講少少日文。I speak a little Japanese.This sentence is useful for expressing that you can speak a little bit of 日文.Tatoeba #437746 by nickyeow, translation #258667 by CN
- 呢度有冇人識講日文㗎？Does anyone here speak Japanese?This sentence is useful for asking if anyone in a location can speak 日文.Tatoeba #569720 by nickyeow, translation #61727 by CK
- 啲人成日話日文好難學。Japanese is often said to be a difficult language to learn.This sentence is useful for noting that people often say 日文 is difficult to learn.Tatoeba #590098 by nickyeow, translation #281666 by jakov
- 我個醫生係日本人。My doctor is Japanese.
- 佢好鐘意日本仔。He really likes Japanese guys.
- 20 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are discussing a new language class.
- 家明 Ka Ming你想唔想報日文課程？nei5 soeng2 m4 soeng2 bou3 jat6 man4 fo3 cing4?Do you want to sign up for a Japanese course?
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung我好想，但我怕日文太難。ngo5 hou2 soeng2, daan6 ngo5 paa3 jat6 man4 taai3 naan4.I really want to, but I'm afraid Japanese is too difficult.
- 家明 Ka Ming其實只要肯努力就唔難。kei4 sat6 zi2 jiu3 hang2 nou5 lik6 zau6 m4 naan4.Actually, it's not hard as long as you work hard.
- 曉彤 Hiu Tung好啦，我同你一齊學日文。hou2 laa1, ngo5 tung4 nei5 jat1 cai4 hok6 jat6 man4.Alright, I'll study Japanese with you.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “japanese” translations, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
