5.2. Where does the word yen come from?

In Japanese, the name of the currency is en (円) not `yen'. The Japanese language has no `ye' sound (see 1.1.2. Is there a kana symbol for ye or yi?).

In the old (pre-war) writing system (see 1.1.7. What is historical kana usage?) en was written in kana as wen (ゑん) not `yen'. Writing it as `yen' in English originated in Hepburn's dictionary of 1867, in which all words starting e or we were represented with an English ye. Other well-known examples are writing Yedo for Edo (the old name for Tokyo) or Yezo for Ezo, the old name for Hokkaidou.

Acknowledgements

Edited from a post by NAKANO Yasuaki.

sci.lang.japan FAQ / 5. Japanese and English

Previous article: 5.1. How do I write an English word in Japanese?
Next article: 5.3. Where does the name Japan come from?

If you have questions, corrections, or comments, please contact Ben Bullock or use the discussion forum / Privacy