[General Knowledge] Summary of Kanji Quizzes Representing Country Names

Germany

In German, Germany is called “Deutschland,” but in English it’s “Germany,” and in French it’s “Allemagne”—the name varies depending on the country. It’s said that the reason is that Germany was not under the long-term rule of any single country.

United Kingdom

The official name of the UK is the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Referring to it as “Igirisu” is unique to Japan; around the world it’s written as “United Kingdom,” “Great Britain,” or the abbreviation “UK.”

Spain

The kanji representation of Spain, “西班牙,” is pronounced “Shī-bān-niǎ” in Chinese. Because this pronunciation closely resembled the sound of the Arabic word that became the basis for the country name “España” in Spanish when read in Chinese, these kanji were adopted.

Philippines

The Philippines was a Spanish colony from the 16th to the 19th century. Because of that, the country is said to have been named “the Philippines” after Philip (Felipe), who was the Spanish crown prince in the 16th century. Even though it is no longer a colony, Spanish place names still remain throughout the Philippines.

Russia

Russia was initially written as 「魯西亜」, but because the character 「魯」 suggested foolishness, a protest was lodged by the Russian side, and the notation was changed to the current 「露西亜」. During the Edo period, it was also referred to as 「オロシャ」 or 「をろしや」, forms closer to Chinese or Mongolian.