As Japanese language students, we are used to reading and writing countries in Katakana. It’s quite confusing but yes, countries CAN be written in Kanji!
Contents
Written in the stars: Countries DO have Kanji
Gairaigo, Ateji and Kanji
Just so everyone can understand how kanji is used in writing countries, let’s talk about the use of Gairaigo and Ateji to have a better understanding on how this is possible.
What is Gairaigo (外来語)?
Most people think they do not know what Gairaigo is, but much to their surprise, Gairaigo is the most common type of Japanese words which foreigners who study Japanese find easier to learn. To break it down, GAIRAIGO(外来語) consists of 3 main kanji. 外(gai) the kanji for outside, 来(rai) the kanji for come, and 語(go) the kanji for language. Gairaigo are what are commonly referred to as “borrowed words” or words that are from a foreign language that was not from the ancient times from Old or Middle Chinese. These are usually words with a European or English origin. These words are usually modern words that have been absorbed from the reopening of Japan to the West back in the 1900’s. Although there are many Japanese words borrowed from the Chinese language, these were all in a time where Chinese characters were, leading these Chinese borrowed words to be written in Kanji.
The concept of gairaigo is quite convenient for students learning due to how most words are pulled from a modern language, which are more commonly used in casual conversations. These are mainly written in Katakana. A few common examples are ラジオ(radio), テレビ(television: its an abbreviation!), タバコ(tobacco), and クリスマス(Christmas). In Japanese language books and Japanese schools, written Gairaigo versions of countries more commonly used since it is easier for foreigners to remember.
HOWEVER, there are some Gairaigo words that can be written in Kanji. Confusing? Yes, it is. There are some cases where single character Gairaigo (mostly units of measure) are given a kanji.
What is Ateji(当て字)?
When looking at a word comprised of kanji characters, it’s quite easy to tell what a word is from the meaning of its kanji despite not knowing how its read phonetically. For “Ateji”, however, it is a bit more confusing than that. Although composed of kanji characters, the meaning of the kanji is totally ignored and only the phonetic sounds are used. In some cases of Atejis, words borrow the meaning of kanji characters but not the readings. There are also cases where Ateji borrow both the reading and meaning of kanji characters. For Japanese language students who do not know what Atejis are, this can be very VERY confusing and might lead to many misunderstandings while learning Japanese. A few common examples are as follows.
TYPE 1:
The main focus is the phonetic reading of the kanji.
| English | Romaji | Ateji |
| Coffee | Ko-hi- | コーヒー珈琲 |
| Sushi | Sushi | すし寿司 |
| America | Amairika | あまいりか亜米利加 |
TYPE 2:
The meaning of the kanji is the main focus and the reading is ignored. Usually the words already were made before the writing system came into use.
| English | Romaji | Ateji |
| Tobacco/ cigarettes | Tabako | たばこ煙草 |
| Shrimp | Ebi | えび海老 |
| Speech | Serifu | せりふ台詞 |
TYPE 3:
Both the reading and meaning of the kanji is used into the word.
| English | Romaji | Ateji |
| Raincoat | Kappa | かっぱ合羽 |
| Countryside | Inaka | いなか田舎 |
| Club | Kurabu | くらぶ倶楽部 |
Do countries have Kanji characters?
YES, countries do have kanji! Most Japanese language aren’t familiar with them and are more exposed to the Gairaigo version where Katakana is used to write them. Garaigo and Ateji are used in the kanji versions (and abbreviations) of some countries, which can be found below.
List of Japanese Kanji Country Names
Country’s Kanji : ASIA
| English | Romaji | Katakana | Kanji | Abbreviation |
| India | Indo | インド | 印度 | 印 |
| Indonesia | Indoneshia | インドネシア | 印度尼西亜 | 尼 |
| Kazakhstan | Kazafusutan | カザフスタン | 香佐富斯坦 | 香 |
| Saudi Arabia | Saujiarabia | サウジアラビア | 沙地亜剌比亜 | 沙 |
| Syria | Shiriya | シリア | 叙利亜 | 叙 |
| Singapore | Shingapo-ru | シンガポール | 星嘉波 | 星 |
| Sri Lanka | Suriranka | スリランカ | 錫蘭 | 錫 |
| Thailand | Tai | タイ | 泰 | 泰 |
| South Korea | Taikanminkoku (Kankoku) | (no katakana) | 大韓民国 | 韓 |
| Tajikistan | Tajikisutan | タジキスタン | 塔吉克斯坦 | 塔 |
| China | Chuuka Jinmin Kyouwakoku (Chuugoku) | (no katakana) | 中華人民共和国 | 中 |
| Taiwan | Chuuka Minkoku | (no katakana) | 中華民国 | 台 |
| North Korea | Chousen Minjujugi Jinmin Kyouwakoku (Kita Chousen) | (no katakana) | 朝鮮民主主義人民共和国 | 朝 |
| Turkey | Toruko | トルコ | 土耳其 | 土 |
| Japan | Nihon | (no katakana) | 日本 | 日 |
| Philippines | Fuiripin | フィリピン | 比利賓 | 比 |
| Vietnam | Betonamu | ベトナム | 越南 | 越 |
| Malaysia | Maree-shiya | マレーシア | 馬来西亜 | 馬 |
| Myanmar | Myanmaa- | ミャンマー | 緬甸 | 緬 |
| Mongolia | Mongoru | モンゴル | 蒙古 | 蒙 |
| Laos | Raosu | ラオス | 老檛 | 老 |
Country’s Kanji : OCEANIA
| English | Romaji | Katakana | Kanji | Abbreviation |
| Australia | Osutoraria | オーストラリア | 豪斯多剌里亜 | 豪 |
| New Zealand | Nyuu-ji-rando | ニュージーランド | 新西蘭土 | 新 |
Country’s Kanji : NORTH AMERICA
| English | Romaji | Katakana | Kanji | Abbreviation |
| USA | Amerika | アメリカ | 亜米利加 | 米 |
| Canada | Kanada | カナダ | 加拿大 | 加 |
| Panama | Panama | パナマ | 巴拿馬 | 巴 |
| Mexico | Mekishiko | メキシコ | 墨西哥 | 墨 |
Country’s Kanji : SOUTH AMERICA
| English | Romaji | Katakana | Kanji | Abbreviation |
| Argentina | Arugenchina | アルゼンチン | 亜爾然丁 | 亜 |
| Chile | Chiri | チリ | 智利 | 智 |
| Brazil | Burajiru | ブラジル | 伯剌西爾 | 伯 |
| Venezuela | Benejuera | ベネズエラ | 委内瑞拉 | 委 |
| Peru | Peru- | ペルー | 秘魯 | 秘 |
| Bolivia | Boribia | ボリビア | 波利美亜 | 波 |
Country’s Kanji : EUROPE
| English | Romaji | Katakana | Kanji | Abbreviation |
| Iceland | Aisurando | アイスランド | 氷島 | 氷 |
| Ireland | Airurando | アイルランド | 愛蘭土 | 愛 |
| England | Igirisu | イギリス | 英吉利西 | 英 |
| Italy | Itaria | イタリア | 伊太利亜 | 伊 |
| Ukraine | Ukuraina | ウクライナ | 烏克蘭 | 烏 |
| Austria | O-sutoria | オーストリア | 墺太利 | 墺 |
| Netherlands | Oranda | オランダ | 阿蘭陀 | 蘭 |
| Greece | Girisha | ギリシャ | 希臘 | 希 |
| Switzerland | Suisu | スイス | 瑞士 | 瑞 |
| Sweden | Suuei-den | スウェーデン | 瑞典 | 瑞 |
| Spain | Supein | スペイン | 西班牙 | 西 |
| Denmark | Denma-ku | デンマーク | 丹麦 | 丹 |
| Germany | Doitsu | ドイツ | 独逸 | 独 |
| Norway | Noruwei- | ノルウェー | 那威 | 那 |
| Hungary | Hangari- | ハンガリー | 匈牙利 | 匈 |
| Finland | Finrando | フィンランド | 芬蘭土 | 芬 |
| France | Furansu | フランス | 仏蘭西 | 仏 |
| Bulgaria | Burugaria | ブルガリア | 布爾加利亜 | 布 |
| Belgium | Berugi- | ベルギー | 白耳義 | 白 |
| Poland | Po-rando | ポーランド | 波蘭土 | 波 |
| Portugal | Porutogaru | ポルトガル | 葡萄牙 | 葡 |
| Latvia | Ratobia | ラトビア | 良都美野 | 良 |
| Romania | Ru-mania | ルーマニア | 羅馬尼亜 | 羅 |
| Russia | Roshia | ロシア | 露西亜 | 露 |
Country’s Kanji : AFRICA
| English | Romaji | Katakana | Kanji | Abbreviation |
| Egypt | Ejiputo | エジプト | 埃及多 | 埃 |
| Republic of the Congo | Kongo Kyou Wakoku | コンゴ共和国 | 公果 | 公 |
| Democratic Republic of the Congo | Kongo Minshu Kyou Wakoku | コンゴ民主共和国 | 公果 | 公 |
| Tunisia | Chunisha | チュニジア | 突尼斯 | 突 |
| South Africa | Minami Afurika | 南アフリカ | 南阿弗利加 | 南阿 |
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