Nihonologist

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A specialist scholar who researches and writes about Japan, including its history, language, society and traditions
2. An academic expert devoted to the study of Japanese culture, politics, language and everyday life
3. Someone who makes Japan their field of learning, examining its people, institutions and cultural heritage in depth

Etymology: "Nihonologist" is built from "Nihon," the Japanese name for Japan (written 日本, roughly "sun origin"), and the Greek-derived suffix "-logist," meaning one who studies a subject, from "-logy." The word is a modern formation, not an ancient one: it belongs to the same family as "Sinologist" (an expert on China) and "Japanologist," which is the more common term in English. The "Nihon" element is the key to the word's oddity. English speakers usually say "Japan," a name that reached Europe through Portuguese and Dutch traders' versions of Chinese and Malay forms. "Nihonologist" uses the name Japanese people use for their own country, so the word carries a slightly different flavour, a choice of insider vocabulary over outsider convention. It is rare in print, and most English writers prefer "Japanologist."

Synonyms: japanologist