Kochi

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A major port city on the Malabar Coast of Kerala state in southwestern India, long known as Cochin
2. A coastal city in the Indian state of Kerala that serves as a busy seaport and commercial hub on the Arabian Sea
3. The large harbour city of southwestern India in Kerala, historically called Cochin and famed for its spice trade

Etymology: Kochi is the name of a major port city on the southwestern coast of India, in the state of Kerala, yet the English word comes from two different sources. The city's name is a Malayalam word, "kocci," which is the form written in Malayalam script as കൊച്ചി. English took the name directly from that language, so the city name you see on maps and in news reports follows the local pronunciation rather than any European spelling. The same spelling also appears as a borrowing from Japanese, and that is where the confusion comes in. Japanese "Kōchi" (高知 or 高地, or 幸地 in a different writing) names a prefecture and city on the island of Shikoku. Both words are pronounced similarly in English, but they have nothing to do with each other beyond sharing a romanised spelling. The Japanese entries are not the origin of the Indian city's name, and speakers encountering the word in English should understand that the Indian place is the one meant when it is used for the port.