Do Japanese people call their money "yen" even though there is no YE sound in
their language?
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2016-06-10T20:27:38.297
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2016-06-11T04:37:56.760
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words
Is yen a Japanese word?
Yes, it is a Japanese word.

We call it Yen. Only you see is Y and it is pronounced as En.
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2016-06-10T20:52:54.167
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2016-06-11T01:01:07.110
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Japanese don't pronounce 円 as "Yen" like "i-en." We pronounce it clearly "えん,"
though I don't know how to describe Japanese "え" sound by using alphabet and
phonetic sybols.

As a side story, I have a memory of having read an episode in some book that
伊藤博文 - Ito Hirobumi, the Japan's first Prime Minister proposed to use the
denomination of 円 for Japan's currencies, when the cabinet members of the new
government were discussing how to call the unit of new currency that replace
old currencies (両, 文, 朱) issued under the Tokugawa regime at the cabinet
meeting soon after the launch of the Meiji government. He showed the round
shape of a ring with his thumb and index finger, and said "円 is a familiar
shape of coins and it signifies PEACE and perfection, which is a suitable name
for the new currency."

Provided this is the provenance of 円, it's no wonder to pronounce it as えん -
en, not yen.
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2016-06-11T00:01:24.067
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