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Kanji question

Posted: Mon Dec 03, 2018 3:55 pm
by Tetsuwan Penguin
I noticed that the Kanji for book 本 is the same as part of the kanji for Japan 日本. Book in Japanese sounds like the same syllable used in Japan.
But I had learned that the kanji for Japan, combines the kanji for 'sun' and 'root', from which we get 'land of the rising sun'. But why is the word for book the same as 'root'. The kanji for root, and book, are derived from the kanji for 'tree'. I can see that (trees have roots).
Anyway, can any Japanese speakers explain this?

Re: Kanji question

Posted: Tue Dec 04, 2018 2:27 am
by jeffbert
Not a Japanese speaker, but working on expanding my reading ability. As I understand it 'Nihon' (Japan) is indeed made from Day + book. It seems that there are other ways of 'spelling' the same word, So, I do not know if there is any meaning in these particular kanji being used.

https://jisho.org/search/ni lists several kanji that also are 'ni'; though it says nothing about knights who say 'ni'

二 (kanji) is 2, though it has other uses.
ニ katakana for 'ni'

tough to tell the difference, though.



1. load; baggage; cargo; freight; goods​
2. burden; responsibility​


is hiragana (phonetic 'alphabet') is also 'ni' the page lists more than a few uses, including:
1. at (place, time); in; on; during​
2. to (direction, state); toward; into​
3. for (purpose)​
& six others.


ニ katakana for 'ni'



& a few others.


'nichi' = 'day' who they dropped the 'chi' when using it with '本' who knows?

'hon'

1. book; volume; script​See also ご本 ごほん

読んだ。I read the book up to page 80 yesterday.
Prefix
2. this; present​

https://jisho.org/search/hon


:P