Nihon VS Nippon | What's the difference ? | Japanese Word Choice

ヾ(｡･ω･｡)
Quick video explaining the difference between the two words for "Japan".
Nihon and Nippon, which one is correct? You'll know by the end of the video!

[MatsubaAgeha]

NIHON & NIPPON
[I am a Japanese fluent in Japanese and English.]
There is a sound-change called "ren-daku". For example, when counting long and skinny things like pens and sticks, the word ("counter word") HON 本 (The same HON as in Ni-hon) gets added to the number and then ren-daku occurs.

1. ichi + hon = ippon ("ho" to "po")
2. ni + hon = nihon
3. san + hon = sanbon ("ho" to "bo")
4. yon + hon = yonhon (Never "shihon"; it's a long story.)
5. go + hon = gohon
6. roku + hon = roppon ("ho" to "po")

日 (nichi) + 本 (hon) = Nippon

Now on "NIHON". "Nichihon" is a little hard to say, so they dropped the "chi" and became "Nihon" (A weird exception).
And at the same time, some people did the same thing as "ippon" above.
That is why there are two names for the country in Japanese.
The official one is "Nippon" and is used on paper money, etc.

For "Nippon", "ippon", and "roppon", a different type of Japanese sound-change called "onbin" (specifically sokuonbin) is taking place as well.

Examples:
日 nichi + 産 san = Nissan (The car company)(Not "Nisan")
殺 setsu + 生 shō (long O) + 丸 maru = Sesshōmaru
(From the anime INUYASHA)

NIHON and NIPPON are not necessarily interchangeable. When combined with other words, oftentimes only one of the two is used. For example, the names of animals and plants native to Japan are called "Nihon-XX".

Examples:
Nihon + saru (monkey) = Nihonzaru
(Never "Nipponzaru")
("sa" becomes "za" due to rendaku)
Nippon + ginkō (long O) = Nippon Ginkō (The Bank of Japan)
NHK = Nippon Hōsō Kyōkai (Japan Broadcasting Corporation)

BUT Japanese person = Nihon-jin OR Nippon-jin (日本人)

As this video says, NIHON does sound softer. When referring to the country, I use both NIHON and NIPPON based on whatever I FEEL like saying at that moment (No logical reasons). But I guess I use NIHON more often.

REFERENCE
From the WIKIPEDIA

Rendaku

Japanese counter word

Sokuon

[武道館-eh]

So as a Japanese speaker I should clarify this. The deviation between Nihon and Nippon as you mentioned, largely depends on how you want to sound. But when saying complex concepts such as nippon keizai (Japanese Economy) or nippon seifu (Japanese Government) most people will use nippon instead of nihon. Because while it isn't wrong, "Nihon Keizai" or "Nihon Seifu" is just kind of weird and unnatural sounding for a Japanese speaker. If you want to say Japanese government without nippon, most people say "Nihon no seifu".

Also, you probably know Japan has multiple dialects. But officially, Japan's biggest dialects are split into Kanto Dialect and Kansai Dialect. As a person from Kansai Region, we tend to use "Nippon" over "Nihon" but people who speaks standard Japanese will prefer "Nihon" rather than "Nippon".

[barrettokarate]

If you look at the chest flag patch for competitive Japanese judoka it says "Nippon". However, if you look at the chest flag patches of competitive (WKF) Japanese karateka it says "Japan" on theirs. I'd never noticed it before last years Olympics.

[Disappointed]

As a Japanese speaker and an old Japanese hand, my reaction is that most foreigners should always use 'nihon' to avoid taking sides in the politically very sensitive debate about Japan's political and militzry ascendancy.

And in my opinion, it can be either nihonkeizai or nipponkeizai, and never is it required to be nippon except when refering to the WWII and prior expansionist imperial government. Other than historical references, using nippon appears to the listener to be a political statement by the speaker.

On monkeys and other animals native to Japan: The misstating of nihonzaru as nipponzaru is of course quite inappropriate, since there is no particular need to assert the cute little redbottomed monkeys of Hakone as 'the great Imperial Japanese monkeys', which, unfortunately is the strong implication if nippon is used.

[romeladon]

This video was awesome and so enlightening, please start making videos again🙏🙏🙏

[TheMadisonHang]

I am Hmong
my mother was born in Laos in the 1950s 60s
our word for Japanese is, 'Nippon'

[Slave-of-the-most-merciful]

That happy birthday at the end was rly wholesome

[Randomgolfguy]

Let me share something, same thing happens to the Philippines. Because the Filipino word for the country is "Pilipinas" but it could also be "Filipinas" the gov't also said that either one is correct.

[vioooarora]

All NIPPON Airways
Oh! It means
All Japan Airways!

[ricks]

Japanese written language in a nutshell:
over 15, 000 unique characters still in use, 5 different "alphabets", and 3 major "reading styles" .

It's incredibly difficult for me to interpret more than just the basics :(

[lokvank]

4:18 should have waited two days before watching this video

[ArkDiabLord]

old Chinese pronunciation for japan is jabbon

[smol]

I can't take "Nippon" seriously the way it sounds

[barbouille]

So is someone's birthday among the viewers ?

[nippononna]

Even most Japanese don't know the defference...

[imkow]

Nippon is more closer to it's original Chinese pronunciation ..Nihon is a late corrupted sound..

[PSx]

I am glad no one came here to comment that it was a Mandela effect 😂

[Stray]

put the kanji 日本 on the money and do both にほん and にっぽん at the same time

[hikariemuji]

here in philippines なっぱんご is famous than nihongo:) same with nihon and nippon

[ghettootaku]

Ok so Japan in Japanese is Nihon but the kanji is "sun origin" well why is it Ni for the first kanji I've learned that that kanji is Hi which means sun so why is it Ni instead of Hi