Japan

IPA/dʒəpˈan/
KK[dʒəpˈæn]IPA/dʒəpˈæn/

Japan — noun

1. a nation in eastern Asia made up of thousands of islands, the four largest being

1.nounA1
Definition

a nation in eastern Asia made up of thousands of islands, the four largest being Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu, and Shikoku

Example

Élise spent two weeks in Japan last spring visiting temples in Kyoto.

in Japan (travel destination)

Japan has some of the world's oldest companies, many over a thousand years old.

Common collocations
  • in Japan
  • to Japan
  • from Japan
  • visit Japan
  • live in Japan
Synonyms
  • the Land of the Rising Sun

    literary or poetic name referring to the meaning of the characters in the Japanese name 日本 (sun origin)

  • Nippon

    one of the native Japanese names for the country, used in formal or ceremonial contexts

Grammar Patterns

Japan + singular verb

Usage Note

Japan is a proper noun and does not take the definite article 'the' in ordinary use. The article is only added when referring to a specific period or aspect (e.g., 'the Japan of the Edo period'). The adjective form is 'Japanese', never 'Japan'.

Common Mistakes

I want to visit the Japan next year.
I want to visit Japan next year.
Most country names do not take 'the'.
Japan food is very fresh.
Japanese food is very fresh.
Use the adjective 'Japanese' to describe things from Japan, not the noun 'Japan'.

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Japan is the standard English name for the country and the only one used in everyday speech and writing. Nippon is the native Japanese pronunciation of the country's name (日本), used in formal settings such as international sporting events, bank notes, and government documents. The Land of the Rising Sun is a poetic calque of the Chinese characters 日 (sun) and 本 (origin) that make up the name 日本; it appears in literature and tourism campaigns but is never used in neutral conversation. Learners should stick with Japan for all ordinary purposes, recognize Nippon when it appears on official items like stamps or team uniforms, and treat the Land of the Rising Sun as a figure of speech.

Japan ↗Nipponthe Land of the Rising Sun

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • visit Japan
  • live in Japan
  • move to Japan
  • travel around Japan

Prepositions

Etymology

ChineseMalayPortugueseDutchEnglish

Japan entered English through Portuguese and Dutch traders in the 1500s, who picked up the name from Malay Jepang. The Malay word itself came from the Chinese pronunciation of 日本 (Nippon / Nihon), a name made up of the characters for 'sun' (日) and 'origin' (本), giving the meaning 'land where the sun rises' — the origin of the poetic phrase 'the Land of the Rising Sun'.