コーヒー

Japanese
Alternative spelling 珈琲
コーヒー: a small cup of coffee.

Etymology

Borrowing from Dutch koffie,[1][2][3][4] also influenced by English coffee.[1][2][3][4]

The kanji spelling of 珈琲 is ateji (当て字) coined by Udagawa Yōan in the first half of the 1800s,[5] likely influenced by the similar Chinese spelling 咖啡.

Pronunciation

Noun
Coffee sign in kanji

コーヒー (rōmaji kōhī)

  1. coffee

Usage notes

コーヒー is much more common generally, but 珈琲 is found relatively frequently on signs for restaurants and on some menus.

References
  1. 1988, 国語大辞典（新装版） (Kokugo Dai Jiten, Revised Edition) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan
  2. 1995, 大辞泉 (Daijisen) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Shogakukan, →ISBN
  3. 1998, 広辞苑 (Kōjien), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
  4. 2006, 大辞林 (Daijirin), Third Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  5. 1957, Gihachiro Okuyama, 「かうひい異名熟字一覧（木版画）」 (Kauhī Imei Jukuji Ichiran (Mokuhan-ga), "List of Synonymous Idioms for Coffee (woodblock print)"), 『珈琲遍歴』 (Kōhī Henreki, "Coffee Pilgrimage"), in Japanese, Shikisha Co., Ltd.
  6. 1997, 新明解国語辞典 (Shin Meikai Kokugo Jiten), Fifth Edition (in Japanese), Tōkyō: Sanseidō, →ISBN
  7. 1998, NHK日本語発音アクセント辞典 (NHK Japanese Pronunciation Accent Dictionary) (in Japanese), Tōkyō: NHK, →ISBN
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