The many lives of a dictionary: An analysis of how Dutch lexicography was received and repurposed in Early Modern Japan

Lorenzo Nespoli
Ca’ Foscari University of Venice

Dutch lexicography spread widely in Japan during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, prompting Japanese scholars to develop methodologies for its reception. The two often-cited Dutch-French dictionaries by François Halma and Pieter Marin became the main link between the Sino-Japanese and European lexicographic traditions. This contribution analyses Japanese manuscripts to examine how Dutch lexicography was received and repurposed for the needs of the Japanese scholars. Marin and Halma compiled their works intending to aid Dutch learners of French looking up unfamiliar words, aware that this also implied an unprecedented cataloguing of the Dutch lexicon. When these dictionaries reached Japan, the local scholars had different necessities, having to make the most of these rare books. The Japanese used them not only to look up words, but also as models to base the first Dutch-Japanese dictionaries and, most uniquely, as sources for the study of Dutch grammar. European lexicography was different enough from what the Japanese were used to, that they felt compelled to explain in detail how to consult a Dutch dictionary, often without referencing comparable local sources, evidencing the perceived differences between the two lexicographic traditions.

Publication history

Date received: 19 September 2024

Date accepted: 23 June 2025

Published online: 18 August 2025

Table of contents

The present contribution analyses the reception and repurposing of Dutch lexicography in Edo Japan (1603–1867), concentrating on the two Dutch-French dictionaries Woordenboek der Nederduitsche en Fransche taalen (‘Dictionary of the Dutch and French Languages’, 1710) by François Halma (1653–1722) and Compleet Nederduitsch en Fransch woordenboek (‘Complete Dutch and French Dictionary’, 1717) by Pieter Marin (1667/8–1718). It offers new insights into how the European genre of lexicography was adapted in Japan, highlighting the challenges faced by the Japanese when dealing with Dutch dictionaries. I will also point out any explicit comparison with the Sino-Japanese tradition of lexicography that can be found in the sources I have analysed. Scattered research on some of the individual topics that I cover can be found in secondary sources, but a cohesive study of these phenomena is still unavailable.

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