Why Is “America” Written as 亜米利加 in Japanese?

(And How Is Your Country Written?)

Have you ever seen country names written in kanji in Japanese?

Not katakana Not English. Kanji

At first, it looks serious

But once you know the reason, it becomes surprisingly funny.

Let’s take a look.

🇺🇸 America → 亜米利加

Yes, this one surprises a lot of people.

• 亜 = a

• 米 = me

• 利 = ri

• 加 = ka

Together: A-me-ri-ka

No deep meaning No secret symbolism. Just sound

(Although many people still think “America has to do with rice?” )

🇷🇺 Russia → 露西亜

This one looks very serious.

• 露 = ro

• 西 = shi

• 亜 = a

Again, it’s all about pronunciation.

But admit it 露西亜 looks like the name of an ancient empire.

🇫🇷 France → 仏蘭西

This one feels oddly elegant.

• 仏 = fu

• 蘭 = ran

• 西 = su

The characters were chosen for sound, not meaning,

but somehow it still feels… French.

Q, So Why Did Japan Do This?

Before katakana became common, Japanese used kanji to write foreign words.

This method is called ateji  "kanji used mainly for their sound."

Kanji were the only writing tool available, so they were used creatively, sometimes excessively.

Later, katakana took over because it was:

• easier to read

• easier to write

• less confusing

That’s why today we write:

• アメリカ

• ロシア

• フランス

But the kanji versions never completely disappeared.

How is your country written in kanji?

Many people don’t know until they look it up and once you do, you can’t unsee it.

If you find yours, let me know. I’m genuinely curious 🙂

Shun