Hello, I am Yoshi from NILS Japanese language school. Today’s topic is ralated to National symbols of Japan.

[Name of the Nation]
“Nippon (日本)” literally means the place where the sun rises. It is said that when Imperial Prince Shotoku sent an official letter to a Chinese emperor of the Sui dynasty in the 7th century, he mentioned it was form the Imperial Prince of the sun-rising country to the emperor of the sun-sinking country. it is said that this was the first time Japan was designated the sun-rising country.

[National Flag]
The Japanese national flag is called hinomaru. The design of the flag is very simple with a red circle symbolizing the rising sun oon a white background. From the 16th century onwards, people started using it for identification on Japanese ships. It was in 1999 that hinomaru became the national flag by law.



Feb. 29th News, from NILS Japanese language school