Submitted by bentobam t3_10ohrv7 in explainlikeimfive
Whitehatdvl t1_j6g42su wrote
Reply to comment by ZevVeli in ELI5: How do they come up with names for countries in foreign languages? by bentobam
What's weird to me is if you read stuff from the WWII era and before, it was common for people to refer to Japan as Nippon, and they called Japanese people Nipponese (if they weren't using a pejorative). It's kinda crazy that everybody says Japan now in English instead of Nippon, which is what the Japanese say.
vikio t1_j6hfq54 wrote
Well, Japan changed the pronunciation of it's own name from Nippon to Nihon after WW2. The actual name didn't change, both are legit readings of 日本. They switched because Nihon sounds softer and they wanted to show commitment to peace and demilitarization.
Space_Shep t1_j6hfu4l wrote
Huh, TIL. Thanks!
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