倭

Primarily denotes Japan or the ancient Japanese people, as seen in the historical term 倭國 (왜국, Wa-guk).

Originally, however, the character had a neutral meaning of “to bend” or “to be compliant,” and only later came to refer to Japan in Chinese historical texts.

Phono-semantic compound composed of:

人 (사람 인) — semantic component, representing “a person.”

委 (맡길 위) — phonetic component, giving the sound wae (Middle Chinese ʔwa / ʔwæ) and suggesting “bending” or “curving.”

The character originally described a person who bends or bows, and by extension came to connote “humble” or “submissive.”

倭國 (왜국) — ancient Japan

倭人 (왜인) — Japanese person (historical)

倭語 (왜어) — Japanese language (archaic term)

倭寇 (왜구) — Japanese pirates (esp. 14–16th centuries)

In historical Korean records, especially during the Three Kingdoms and Joseon dynasties, 倭 was the common written term for Japan and its people.

After the official Japanese replacement with 日本 and 和,

Korean and Chinese texts also gradually stopped using 倭 except in historical contexts or references to 왜구 (Japanese raiders).

In Chinese historical sources such as the Han Shu (漢書) and Wei Zhi (魏志), 倭 was used to denote the islands east of the Korean Peninsula — the ancient Japanese polity known as Yamato (やまと).

「倭人在帶方東南大海之中。」 (Wei Zhi Dongyi Zhuan)

“The people of Wa dwell in the great ocean southeast of Daifang.”

However, because 倭 carried connotations of “short” and “submissive,” the Japanese later sought a more dignified self-designation.

In 670 CE, during the Asuka period, the country officially changed its name from 倭國 to 日本 (Sun-Origin, Nippon).

Later texts from the Nara period began using 和 (화할 화) as a more neutral or positive substitute for 倭, since it shared the same Japanese reading “wa.”

Symbolism and connotations:

In its original pictorial sense, 倭 symbolized a person bowing or bending, thus associated with modesty or compliance.

However, when used as a national ethnonym for Japan, this nuance of “bending / smallness” gave it a slightly pejorative tone from the Chinese viewpoint.

The later substitution of 和 (harmony, peace) for 倭 reflects a cultural shift — from an externally imposed description (“submissive people”) to a self-chosen identity emphasizing harmony and balance.

倭 carries with it the story of how a name shapes identity.

What began as a foreign label implying smallness or humility became a symbol of national pride once transformed into 日本 and 和 — the Land of the Rising Sun and the Country of Harmony.

「改倭國號曰日本。」

“They changed the name of the country from Wa to Nippon” (Nihon Shoki, 670 CE).

Thus, 倭 reminds us that words evolve as nations do, and that a single character can trace the transformation from perceived weakness to chosen dignity — from bent to balanced, from 倭 to 和.

Linguistic notes:

In Korean reading, 倭 is pronounced 왜 (wae) today.

In Hunmong Jahoe (訓蒙字會, 1527) by Choe Se-jin, it was recorded as 와, showing the older pronunciation following 烏禾切 (Middle Chinese wa).

This matches the Old Japanese phoneme わ (wa).

Thus, the evolution went:

Middle Chinese ʔwa → Old Korean wa → Modern Korean wae