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Nihon and Nippon)
The Japanese name for Japan, 日本, can be pronounced either Nihon or Nippon. While both readings come from the onyomi, Nippon uses the standard onyomi of 'nichi' for 日 rather than the kunyomi of hi.
While both pronunciations are correct, Nippon is frequently preferred for official purposes, including money, stamps, and international sporting events, as well as the Nipponkoku, literally 'The Nation of Japan' (日本国).
Other than this, there seem to be no fixed rules for choosing one pronunciation over the other; in some cases one form is simply more common. For example, Japanese people most often call themselves Nihonjin and their language Nihongo; "Nipponjin" and "Nippongo" are unusual but not incorrect. In other cases, uses are variable. The name for the Bank of Japan (日本銀行), for example, is given as Nippon Ginkou on banknotes, but often referred to (in the media, for example) as Nihon Ginkou.
Nippon is used most often in the following constructions:
- Nippon-koku kenpo (Constitution of Japan)
- Gambare Nippon! (A sporting cheer used at international sporting events, roughly, 'hang in there Japan!')
Nihon is used most often in the following constructions:
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