Hokuriku
/hoʊˈkʊəriˌkuː/noun
A region of central and northwestern Honshu, Japan, traditionally comprising Fukui, Ishikawa, Toyama, and often Niigata prefectures.
Did you know?Hokuriku is written 北陸, characters that historically could refer not only to northern territory but also to a northern celestial region in classical Chinese tradition.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient China
Classical Chinese
北陸
“A phrase meaning “northern land” or “the northern region”; the characters were later adopted into Japanese writing.”
Ancient China
Chinese
北
“North; the character originally depicted two people standing back-to-back and developed the sense of north.”
Ancient China
Chinese
陸
“Land, dry ground, or terrain, contrasting with water.”
Nara–Heian Period
Japanese
北陸（ほくりく）
“Hokuriku, a northern regional designation used in Japan’s administrative and geographic tradition.”
8th Century
Japanese
北陸道（ほくりくどう）
“Hokurikudō, the historical “Northern Land Circuit,” one of Japan’s ancient provincial routes.”
Modern English
English
Hokuriku
“The Hokuriku region of Japan, used as a geographic proper name.”