Alam ba ninyo na may kanji ang kape? Hindi siguro natin nasusulat (sino ba naman ang nagsusulat ng “珈琲” para sa “コーヒー”) pero alam natin na “kape” ang ibig sabihin nito kapag nakita natin sa mga karatula ng coffee shops.
Pero bakit “珈琲”? Hindi ko alam, kaya binasa ko itong page ng Holly’s Cafe para sa paliwanag.
The history of coffee in this country began in Dejima, Nagasaki, the only place in Japan during the Edo period (1603-1868) where trade was permitted when the country was closed to the outside world.
Its jet-black appearance and unique flavor were not readily palatable to the Japanese palate, but it was necessary to apply the appropriate kanji character to the sound of “coffee” in order to spread it throughout Japan.
Coffee is pronounced “koffie” in Dutch. People at that time tried to somehow translate it into Japanese, coming up with words such as “可否”, “可非”, “架非”, “哥非乙”, and “黒炒豆”, but they did not catch on at all.
In the midst of all this, one of the leading Dutch scholars of the end of the Edo period came up with the guess character for “coffee,” which has been in use for more than 150 years.
It was Udagawa Yōan (1798-1846), a Dutch scholar active at the end of the Edo period, who invented the Chinese character for coffee.
Born the eldest son of Ezawa Yoju, a doctor stationed in Edo of the Ogaki domain, Udagawa Yōan was adopted by Udagawa Genshin, who was his father’s mentor. The Udagawa family was famous for its Dutch studies, and Yōan also distinguished himself as a Dutch scholar and doctor.
Udagawa Yōan was also a genius at coining words. The kanji (珈琲) for coffee is just one of his creations. In the process of translating books on chemistry and botany imported from abroad, he created a variety of academic terms that are still in use today.
The “珈” in “珈琲” reads “kamikazari,” a Chinese character meaning “flower ornament,” which was used by women at that time to put up their hair.
And the “琲” reads “tsurunaku”. It was used to mean a string connecting the ornamental balls of a kanzashi.
“珈琲” does not mean a drink or its apparent color or efficacy, but rather “a flower ornament with a bead ornament” that adorns a woman’s hair.
When Udagawa Yōan heard the pronunciation “coffee,” he applied the Chinese character “珈琲” which means flower ornament. A drink and a hair ornament. What is the reason for the connection between these two seemingly unrelated things?
The answer lies in the “coffee cherry” before the coffee bean is harvested.
If you look closely at the bright red berries on a single branch, they look like a colorful “hair ornament”! Yes, it does. Yōan invented the Chinese character for “coffee” by likening the coffee cherry to the hair ornament of the time.
Ngayon alam nyo na… 