漢語
Meanings
Sino-Japanese word; Japanese word of Chinese origin
Refers to words borrowed from Chinese or coined in Japan using Chinese morphemes, as opposed to 和語 (native Japanese words) or 外来語 (loanwords from other languages).
Kango refers to words that came from China or were created in Japan using kanji.
Japanese vocabulary is broadly divided into wago (native words), kango (Sino-Japanese words), and gairaigo (loanwords).
Chinese language; language of the Han people
An older or more formal way to refer to the Chinese language, especially in historical or linguistic contexts. In modern everyday speech, 中国語 is more common.
See also: 中国語
Scholars in the Edo period read Chinese classics to learn the Chinese language.
Usage patterns
- 漢語を使うto use Sino-Japanese vocabulary
This piece of writing uses a lot of Sino-Japanese vocabulary.
- 〈物〉は漢語だ〈word〉 is a Sino-Japanese word
The word 'gakkō' (school) is a Sino-Japanese word.
- 漢語由来の〈物〉〈thing/word〉 derived from Chinese
'Keizai' (economy) is a word derived from Chinese.