Top page [gairaigo]

Portuguese

Please note that arigatō did not come from Portuguese.

Orthography

Many of the words which entered Japanese from Portuguese and Dutch are written in kanji or hiragana rather than katakana, which is the more common way to write loanwords in Japanese. Some of the kanji versions of the words are ''ateji'', characters added to the words by the Japanese, based on either the pronunciation or the meaning of the word.

Words of disputed origin

The origin of some words such as saboten "cactus" and buranko "swing" is disputed, but according to some explanations they may have come from Portuguese.

List

Here is a list of some words from Portuguese which have survived until the present day.

|

Japanese (rōmaji)	Japanese (kanji/kana)	Original Portuguese (from Kojien)	Modern Portuguese	English	Notes
bateren	伴天連 ▽破天連 バテレン	padre	padre, pai	priest, father
biidoro	ビードロ	vidro	vidro	glass
birōdo	天鵞絨 ビロード	veludo	veludo	velvet	天鵞絨 may also be read as てんがじゅう, the on'yomi reading (Daijirin,Kojien). May have come from the Spanish velludo (Kojien lists both options)
bōro, bōru	ボーロ ボール	bolo	bolo	cake
botan	釦 鈕 ボタン	botão	botão	button
charumera, charumeru	▽哨吶 チャルメラ ▽チャルメル	charamela	charamela	shawm
chokki	チョッキ	jaqueta	colete	waistcoat (UK English); vest (US English).	Source language and exact source word uncertain.
furasuko	フラスコ	frasco	frasco	flask
Igirisu	イギリス 英吉利	inglez	inglês	England/The UK	In Portuguese, inglês means English or Englishman. In Japanese, igirisu means 'The United Kingdom'.
iruman	▽入満 ▽伊留満 ▽由婁漫 イルマン	irmão	irmão	brother	Term used in early Japanese Christianity; missionary next in line to become a priest
jouro	如雨露 ▽如露 じょうろ	jorro	jarro	watering can	Kōjien says this origin is one theory. Daijirin also gives the Portuguese jorro as a possible origin.
jiban, juban	襦袢 ジバン ジュバン	gibão	gibão	underwear	In Portuguese, the word "gibão" means "jerkin" (in some cases, "doublet"), rather than "underwear", the latter too generic a term.
kapitan	▽甲比丹 ▽甲必丹 カピタン	capitão	capitão	captain
kanakin, kanekin	金巾 ▽かなきん ▽かねきん	canequim		unbleached muslin/calico	Not used in present-day Portuguese.
kappa	合羽 カッパ	capa	capa (de chuva)	raincoat
karumera	カルメラ	caramelo	caramelo	caramel	Daijirin but not Kojien notes the Portuguese caramelo as a source for this word.
karuta	歌留多 ▽加留多 骨牌 カルタ	carta	cartas (de jogar)	playing cards
kirishitan	切支丹 ▽吉利支丹 キリシタン	cristão	cristão	Christian
kirisuto	基督 キリスト	Cristo	Cristo	Christ	Also kurisuto クリスト
konpeitō	金米糖 金平糖 ▽金餅糖 コンペイトー	confeito		A kind of star-shaped candy.	The modern Portuguese word "confeito" more commonly means "sugar-plum" or "comfit", though it also signifies a small candy made with hardened melted sugar, to which various dyes or ingredients are added, sold in wrapped paper. In this case, it is also called "rebuçado". "Confeito" is also related to the English word "confetti".
kurusu	クルス	cruz	cruz	cross	See ピンからキリまで, キリ is said to be a corruption of クルス.
marumero	木瓜 マルメロ	marmelo	marmelo	quince	木瓜 may also be read as ぼけ.
meriyasu	莫大小 ▽目利安 メリヤス	meias	meias	hosiery, knitting	In Portuguese, meias means "socks".
miira	木乃伊 ミイラ	mirra	mirra	mummy (embalmed human)	In Portuguese, mirra means "myrrh".
oranda	和蘭 阿蘭陀 ▽和蘭陀 オランダ	Olanda	Holanda	Holland
pan	麺麭 ▽麪包 パン	pão	pão	bread
pin kara kiri made	ピンからキリまで	pinta, cruz		completely, utterly	The pin and kiri are said to have come from Portuguese.
rasha	羅紗 ラシャ	raxa	raxa	felt
rozario	ロザリオ	rosario	rosário	rosary
sabato	サバト	sábado	sábado	Saturday	Kojien also notes the Dutch sabbat as a possible source for this word.
sarasa	更紗 サラサ	saraça	saraça	chintz	Not used in modern Portuguese.
shabon	シャボン	sabão	sabão	soap	Commonly used in the word shabon-dama, "soap bubble", in present-day Japanese.
shōro	ショーロ	choro	choro	weeping	From Daijirin, not included in Kōjien.
subeta	スベタ	espada	espada	sword (in playing cards, original use) ugly faced woman worthless card (in a type of card game) boring person	Not in very common use in modern Japanese.
tabako	煙草 ▽莨 タバコ	tabaco	tabaco	tobacco	Tabako also means "cigarettes" in present-day Japanese.
totan	トタン	tutanaga	tutanaga	zinc	Now used to mean galvanized sheet iron (e.g. corrugated roofing material) in Japanese. In Portuguese, "tutanaga" is a whitish alloy made of copper, zinc and nickel to which bits of iron, silver or arsenium are added (i.e., not simply 'zinc'). It is considered a Chinese invention, though Portuguese inherited the word via Persian "tutia-nak", meaning "zinc oxide".
tempura	天麩羅 天婦羅 てんぷら	têmporas	tempero	tempura	Tempero is Portuguese for spice or seasoning, but the Japanese word tempura means battered and deep-fried fish or vegetables.
zabon	朱欒 ▽香欒 ザボン	zamboa	zamboa	shaddock

Here a ▽ marks uncommon words, readings and variations.

Words from modern Portuguese

Japanese romaji	Japanese kana	Portuguese	Meaning	Notes
shurasuko	シュラスコ	churrasco	Brazilian barbecue	From Daijirin, not included in Kōjien.

References

goo dictionary one of the Online dictionaries

Category:gairaigo