Osaka
/oʊˈsɑːkə/noun
A major city and prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan.
Did you know?Osaka was traditionally written 大坂, but the modern form 大阪 became standard during the Meiji period; popular lore associated 坂 with the phrase “士反,” interpreted as “warriors rebelling,” though this was not the original etymology.
Etymological Timeline
Ancient Japanese
Japanese
ō
“great, large; the native Japanese reading associated with the character 大”
Ancient Japanese
Japanese
saka
“slope, hillside, or incline”
14th Century
Japanese
大坂 (Ōsaka)
“Great Slope; an early written form of the place-name”
16th Century
Japanese
大坂
“The name of the castle town that developed around Osaka Castle”
Meiji Period
Japanese
大阪 (Ōsaka)
“The standardized modern spelling, replacing 坂 with 阪”
Modern English
English
Osaka
“The established English form of the Japanese city and prefecture name”