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omparison of (Jap) Kuni “Land, Country, State”,
(Mo) Ulus and (Ma) Gurunww
Kyoko Maezono
University of Jena, Germany
The Japanese word kuni has the meaning “land, country, state“. If a Japanese
asks a non-Japanese Okuni wa dochira desu ka. “Where is your kuni? / Where
do you come from?” kuni means “home country”. If a Japanese asks the same
question another Japanese kuni means “home region”. Since the very beginning
as the Japanese language was written down this word was documented and it is
still used very often in the daily life.
The modern Khalkha-Mongolian word улс (< ulus) has the meaning “state,
government, people, dynasty” (Tömörtogoo 1979). This Mongolian word
corresponds often to the Manchu word gurun. In this paper the Japanese word
kuni in its oldest chronicle Kojiki 古事記 (712 A.D.) will be compared with
the Mongolian word ulus and the Manchu word gurun in their earliest usages
which we can find. In this paper it´ll be also discussed which meanings these
words had and how they were used especially at the time of foundation of their
nations.
The language materials for the comparison are as follows:
Japanese: Kojiki 古事記 “Records of Ancient Matters” (712 A.D.)
Mongolian: Manghol-un Niuca Tobca’an 元朝秘史 “Secret History of
the Mongols” (13c.)
Manchu and Mongolian: Manju-i yargiyan kooli 満洲實録 “Veritable
Records of the Manchus” (1781)
Manchu and Mongolian: han-i araha sunja hacin-i hergen kamciha
manju gisun-i buleku bithe御製五体清文鑑 “Pentaglot Dictionary”
(1794?)
(Mo) Ulus and (Ma) Gurunww
Kyoko Maezono
University of Jena, Germany
The Japanese word kuni has the meaning “land, country, state“. If a Japanese
asks a non-Japanese Okuni wa dochira desu ka. “Where is your kuni? / Where
do you come from?” kuni means “home country”. If a Japanese asks the same
question another Japanese kuni means “home region”. Since the very beginning
as the Japanese language was written down this word was documented and it is
still used very often in the daily life.
The modern Khalkha-Mongolian word улс (< ulus) has the meaning “state,
government, people, dynasty” (Tömörtogoo 1979). This Mongolian word
corresponds often to the Manchu word gurun. In this paper the Japanese word
kuni in its oldest chronicle Kojiki 古事記 (712 A.D.) will be compared with
the Mongolian word ulus and the Manchu word gurun in their earliest usages
which we can find. In this paper it´ll be also discussed which meanings these
words had and how they were used especially at the time of foundation of their
nations.
The language materials for the comparison are as follows:
Japanese: Kojiki 古事記 “Records of Ancient Matters” (712 A.D.)
Mongolian: Manghol-un Niuca Tobca’an 元朝秘史 “Secret History of
the Mongols” (13c.)
Manchu and Mongolian: Manju-i yargiyan kooli 満洲實録 “Veritable
Records of the Manchus” (1781)
Manchu and Mongolian: han-i araha sunja hacin-i hergen kamciha
manju gisun-i buleku bithe御製五体清文鑑 “Pentaglot Dictionary”
(1794?)
