The wa that
simonc mentions is written with the
kanji 和 (
Unicode character 548C). To give an
ASCII art
representation:
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The first broad meaning of this character is
peace and it is the second character in the word 平和 ("heiwa") which is the common word for peace in Japanese. It also ocurred in 昭和 (
showa) the name of the period during which emperor
Hirohito reigned.
A second, rather old meaning of the character is Japan.
It does not occur in Nihon, but in 大和 (Yamato), the name of the ancient Japanese empire that established itself around 500 AD in the area of modern-day
Osaka. Today, "yamato"
is used only in history books and means specifically that period. However, due to this meaning, the wa character is also used in expressions such as 和室 (washitsu), Japanese-style room, or 和食 (washoku), Japanese meal.