In the mid-1500s, when Portuguese ships first reached the distant shores of Japan, two worlds met for the very first time. It was not only a meeting of merchants and missionaries, but also of ideas, inventions, and words.
Through trade, faith, and curiosity, the Portuguese introduced Japan to new foods, technologies, and customs – and, without realizing it, left a lasting mark on the Japanese language itself.
Many of the everyday Japanese words that people still use today – from “pan” (bread) to “botan” (button) – were born from this extraordinary encounter between East and West. These borrowed words, reshaped by Japanese pronunciation, are silent witnesses of a time when Portuguese was the global language of discovery and connection.
Examples:
🇯🇵 パン (pan)
🇵🇹 pão
🇬🇧 bread
🇯🇵 ボタン (botan)
🇵🇹 botão
🇬🇧 button
🇯🇵 ビードロ (bīdoro)
🇵🇹 vidro
🇬🇧 glass
🇯🇵 カステラ (kasutera)
🇵🇹 “castela” (bolo fofo, tipo pão-de- ló)
🇬🇧 soft sponge cake
🇯🇵 コンペイトウ (konpeitō)
🇵🇹 “confeito” (doce, rebuçado)
🇬🇧 sweet, candy
🇯🇵 タバコ (tabako)
🇵🇹 tabaco, cigarro
🇬🇧 tobacco
🇯🇵 オルガン (orugan)
🇵🇹 órgão (musical)
🇬🇧 musical organ
🇯🇵 カルタ (karuta)
🇵🇹 carta (jogo de cartas)
🇬🇧 card game
🇯🇵 フロ (furo)
🇵🇹 “forno” (banho quente)
🇬🇧 bath – evolved meaning
🇯🇵 テンポ (tenpo)
🇵🇹 tempo, época, período (uso antigo)
🇬🇧 time, period (archaic use)
🇯🇵 シャボン (shabon)
🇵🇹 sabão, sabonete
🇬🇧 soap
Portuguese influence in Japan began around 1543, when the first sailors reached the Japanese islands. In addition to goods and new technologies, the Portuguese also brought words that the Japanese adapted to their own phonetic system.
Most of these words were introduced through Jesuit missionaries, who used Portuguese as the language of teaching and catechism. In this way, Japanese incorporated terms related not only to religion (such as 🇵🇹 igreja (church), 🇵🇹 anjo (angel), and 🇵🇹 rosário (rosary), but also to everyday life – food, clothing, objects, and even games.
One famous example is the cake 🇯🇵 “kasutera” (カステラ), one of Japan’s most popular desserts, which comes directly from the Portuguese word 🇵🇹 “castela”, a recipe brought by missionaries.
Another well-known case is 🇯🇵 “pan” (パン), which still means 🇵🇹 “pão” (bread) in Japanese today.
Over time, direct contact between the two countries decreased, but the linguistic heritage remained.
Did you know?
* The Japanese language has more than 100 recorded words of Portuguese origin. Some of them even spread to other Asian languages through Portuguese, which at the time was the the international language of trade.
* The Portuguese also introduced the first firearms to Japan. Until then, the Japanese fought using swords (katanas), bows, and spears.
Some of the writings by Jesuit missionaries from that era can still be found today in the “Biblioteca da Ajuda”, and historical objects from this period are preserved in the “Museu do Oriente” in Lisbon.
Catarina Oliveira | Português às 3
Instagram: @portugues_as_3
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