Chinese

Japanese

Etymology 1

From Middle Chinese compound 南蠻 ‎(nom mæn, “southern barbarian”). Compare modern Chinese traditional 南蠻 and simplified 南蛮 ‎(nánmán).

In Japan, this originally referred to the inhabitants of Southeast Asia, particularly the islands of modern-day Philippines and Indonesia. When the Portuguese and Spanish first made contact in Japan, they came from their colonies in Southeast Asia, and were consequently given the same label of nanban. This usage was initially distinct from the separate label 紅毛 ‎(kōmō, “red hair”) used for the Dutch. Over time, this distinction became less important, and the term nanban was used to refer to westerners in general.^[1][2]

Pronunciation

• On'yomi
• なんばん (Heiban)^[2][3][4]
• IPA^(key): [nã̠mbã̠ɴ]

Noun

南蛮 ‎(hiragana なんばん, romaji nanban)

1. (derogatory, archaic) a foreigner from Portugal or Spain; more broadly, a westerner in general
2. (in Japan from the mid-1400s) the inhabitants of Southeast Asia, particularly the islands of Luzon and Java in the modern-day Philippines and Indonesia
3. (in ancient China) the non-Chinese ethnic groups to China's south
4. (in the ancient Baekje kingdom of the Korean peninsula) the island of Jeju to the south
5. a type of movement in kabuki, bunraku, and Japanese dance where the performer mirrors left and right (based on a common myth that westerners walked differently somehow)
6. short for 南蛮辛子 (​nanban-garashi): a synonym for 唐辛子 (​tōgarashi), the chili pepper
7. short for 南蛮黍 (​nanban kibi): a synonym for 玉蜀黍 (とうもろこし, ​tōmorokoshi), common corn or maize
8. a general term for styles of cooking that use leeks, chilis, and oil
9. short for 南蛮煮 (​nanban ni): a soup or stew dish cooked with leeks
10. short for 南蛮船 (​nanbansen): a sailing ship from Spain or Portugal (in the Muromachi and Edo periods)

Prefix

南蛮 ‎(hiragana なんばん, romaji nanban-)

1. from the west, from Europe

Derived terms

Synonyms

• (China, Baekje): 南夷 (なんい, ​nan'i)

Etymology 2

Sound shift from nanban above.^[1][2]

/nanban/ > /nanba/

Pronunciation

• Kan'yōyomi
• なんば (Heiban)^[2]
• IPA^(key): [nã̠mba̠]

Noun

南蛮 ‎(hiragana なんば, romaji nanba)

1. a type of movement in kabuki, bunraku, and Japanese dance where the performer mirrors left and right (based on a common myth that westerners walked differently somehow)
2. short for 南蛮鉄 (​nanban tetsu): refined steel imported from abroad, mainly sourced from Europeans
3. a leek
4. a dish made using leeks

   Also spelled 難波 (​nanba).

References

1. 1 2 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
2. 1 2 3 4 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13905-9
3. ↑ 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, ISBN 4-385-13143-0
4. ↑ 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, ISBN 978-4-14-011112-3