Glossary of Japanese words of Portuguese origin


Many Japanese words of Portuguese origin entered the Japanese language when Portuguese Jesuit priests introduced Christian ideas, Western science, technology and new products to the Japanese during the Muromachi period.
The Portuguese were the first Europeans to reach Japan and the first to establish direct trade between Japan and Europe, in 1543. During the 16th and 17th century, Portuguese Jesuits had undertaken a great work of Catechism, that ended only with religious persecution in the early Edo period. The Portuguese were the first to translate Japanese to a Western language, in the Nippo Jisho or Vocabulario da Lingoa de Iapam compiled by Portuguese Jesuit João Rodrigues, and published in Nagasaki in 1603, who also wrote a grammar Arte da Lingoa de Iapam. The dictionary of Japanese-Portuguese explained 32,000 Japanese words translated into Portuguese. Most of these words refer to the products and customs that first came to Japan via the Portuguese traders.

List of loanwords

Many of the first words which were introduced and entered the Japanese language from Portuguese and Dutch are written in kanji or hiragana, rather than katakana, which is the more common way to write loanwords in Japanese in modern times. Kanji versions of the words are ateji, characters that are "fitted" or "applied" to the words by the Japanese, based on either the pronunciation or the meaning of the word.
The † indicates the word is archaic and no longer in use.
Japanese RōmajiJapanese scriptJapanese meaningPre-modern PortugueseModern PortugueseEnglishNotes
anjoアンジョangelanjoanjoangel
† bateren伴天連 / 破天連a missionary priest padrepadrepriestused in early Christianity
batteraばってらkind of sushibateira— boatnamed after its shape
bīdamaビー玉marbles ----berlindes, bola-de-gude, bolinha-de-gude----abbrev. of bīdoro + tama.
bīdoroビードロa certain traditional type of glass artifactvidrovidroglass
birōdoビロード / 天鵞絨velvetveludoveludovelvetberubetto is also used today.
bōroボーロ / ぼうろa kind of biscuit bolobolocakekeiki is most used today.
botanボタン / 釦 / 鈕buttonbotãobotãobutton
charumeraチャルメラsmall double-reed wind instrumentcharamelacharamela shawm formerly played by Japanese noodle vendors
chokkiチョッキwaistcoat ; vest ; Jacketjaquecolete, jaquetawaistcoat ; vest ; JacketBesuto is common today.
DeusuデウスGodDeusDeusGod
† dochirinaドチリナdoctrinedoutrinadoutrinadoctrine
esukūdoエスクードshieldescudoescudoshield
FadoファドFadoFadoFadoMusic genre originating in Lisbon, Portugal in the 1800s.
furasukoフラスコlaboratory flaskfrascofrascoflask
hiryūzu飛竜頭filhósfilhósDeep-fried glutinous rice balls; alternatively, fried tofu balls with mixed vegetables, also known as ganmodoki
igirisuイギリス / 英吉利the United KingdominglezinglêsEnglish ; Englishman
inherunoインヘルノhellinfernoinfernohell
† irumanイルマン / 入満 / 伊留満 / 由婁漫missionary next in line to become a priestirmãoirmãobrotherused in early Christianity
jōroじょうろ / 如雨露watering canjarrojarrojug, watering can"possibly from Portuguese"
juban/jibanじゅばん / 襦袢undervest for kimonosgibão–undervestThe French form jupon led to zubon.
kabochaカボチャ / 南瓜kabocha pumpkinCamboja abóboraabóbora cabotiákabocha pumpkinWas first introduced to Japan from Cambodia, imported by the Portuguese. Camboja → kabocha. The Japanese term kabocha also appears in historical texts in reference to Cambodia.
kanakin/kanekin金巾 / かなきん / かねきんshirting, percalecanequimcanequimunbleached muslin/calicojargon from the textile business
† kandeyaカンデヤoil lampcandeia, candelavela, candeiacandleextinct, as oil lamps went obsolete. Kantera from Dutch kandelaar was also used.
† kapitan甲比丹 / 甲必丹captain capitãocapitãocaptainextinct word - the English form kyaputen is now used
kappa合羽raincoatcapacapa raincoat, coatreinkōto is prevalent nowadays.
karutaかるた / 歌留多karuta cardscartas cartas cardsa traditional type of playing cards, largely different from the modern worldwide ones
karusanカルサンa specific kind of hakama trouserscalsancalçaotrousers-
kasutera, kasutēra, kasuteiraカステラKind of sponge cake Castela Castela CastileTheories cite Portuguese castelo or the region of Castile. The cake itself may originally derive from bizcocho, a Spanish kind of biscotti.
† kirishitanキリシタン / 切支丹 / 吉利支丹 christãocristãoChristianToday's Christian people are Kurisuchan.
kirisutoキリスト / 基督ChristChristoCristoChrist
koendoroコエンドロcoriandercoentrocoentrocoriander
konpeitō金米糖 / 金平糖 / 金餅糖Kind of star-shaped candyconfeitoconfeitoconfection, candies
koppuコップcupcopocopocup
† kurusuクルスcrosscruzcruzcrossused in early Christianity, now kurosu from English
kuruzeiroクルゼイロBrazilian cruzeiro cruzeirocruzeiroBrazilian cruzeiro
mantoマントcloakmantomantocloak
marumeroマルメロquincemarmelomarmeloquince
meriyasuメリヤス / 莫大小a kind of knit textilemediasmeiashosiery, knitting
mīraミイラ / 木乃伊mummymirramirramyrrhOriginally, mummies embalmed using myrrh.
†nataruナタルChristmasNatalNatalChristmasAnnual festival celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ
orandaオランダ / 和蘭 / 阿蘭陀The Netherlands, HollandHollandaHolanda, Países BaixosThe Netherlands, Holland
oruganオルガンorganorgãoórgãoorgan
panパンbreadpãopãobreadOften wrongly connected to the Spanish pan or the French pain, both with the same meaning and the same Latinate origin. The word was introduced into Japan by Portuguese missionaries.
paraisoパライソparadiseparaísoparaísoparadiseSpecifically in reference to the Christian ideal of heavenly paradise.
pin kara kiri madeピンからキリまでrunning the whole gamut, jumble of wheat and taresliterally 'from pin to kiri'
rashaラシャ / 羅紗a kind of wool woven textileraxa– felt
rozarioロザリオrosaryrosariorosáriorosary
† sabatoサバトSaturdaysábadosábadoSaturday
sabotenサボテン / 仙人掌cactussabãosabãosoapThe derivation is said to come from the soap-like feature of its juice, although there are controversies.
cf. shabon
Santa MariaサンタマリアSaint MarySanta MariaSanta MariaSaint MarySaint Mary
sarasa更紗chintzsaraçachintz
shabonシャボンsoapsabãosabãosoapMore likely from older Spanish :wikt:xabon|xabon. Usually seen in compounds such as shabon-dama in modern Japanese.
shurasukoシュラスコchurrascoBarbecue, specifically Brazilian churrasco. Modern borrowing.
subetaスベタespadaespadaswordOriginally a term from playing cards, in reference to certain cards that earned the player zero points. This meaning extended to refer to "a boring, shabby, low person", and from there to mean "an unattractive woman".
tabakoタバコ / 煙草 / たばこtobacco, cigarettetobacco, cigarette
totanトタン / 塗炭galvanized sheet iron tutanagaCorrugated galvanised iron
tempura天麩羅 / 天婦羅deep-fried seafood/vegetablestempero, temperar; temporatempero, temperar; temporaseasoning, to season; times of abstinence from meat
zabonざぼん / 朱欒 / 香欒pomelo, shaddockzamboazamboapomelo, shaddock
zesu or zezusuゼス, ゼズスJesusJesuJesusJesusThe modern term イエス is a reconstruction of the Ancient Greek term.

Arigatō

It is often suggested that the Japanese word arigatō derives from the Portuguese obrigado, both of which mean "Thank you", but evidence clearly indicates a purely Japanese origin. The Japanese phrase arigatō gozaimasu is a polite form of arigatō. This is a form of an adjective, arigatai, for which written records exist dating back to the Man'yōshū compiled circa 759 AD, well before Japanese contact with Portugal.
The full derivation is arigatō, the “u” sound change of arigataku. In turn, arigataku is the adverbial form of arigatai, from older arigatashi, itself a compound of ari + katashi. Ari is a verb meaning "to be" and katashi is an adjective meaning "difficult". The original meaning of "arigatashi" was "difficult to be", i.e. that the listener's generosity or behavior is "rare" and thus "special".

Other references

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