Mitsubishi (English)

Where does "Mitsubishi" come from?

The English noun 'Mitsubishi' was borrowed directly from the Japanese proper noun 'Mitsubishi'[1]. The Japanese term itself combines 'mitsu' meaning 'three' with 'hishi' meaning 'water caltrop' or 'rhombus', referring to the three diamond family crest design[2]. Through a phonetic process known as rendaku, the initial sound of 'hishi' undergoes voicing to become 'bishi'[2].

Full etymology tree

• Mitsubishi (English), 'A car manufactured by the Mitsubishi company (originally of Japan, but now with branches abroad).'
  • borrowed 三菱 (Mitsubishi) (Japanese), 'Mitsubishi (industrial company)'
    • compound 三つ (mitsu) (Japanese), 'three things'
      • derived 三(み)つ (mitsu) (Japanese)
    • compound 菱 (hishi) (Japanese), 'diamond (shape); rhombus'

Ancestors

• 三菱 (Japanese)

Sources

1. Mitsubishi (English) - Wiktionary
2. 三菱 (Mitsubishi) (Japanese) - Wiktionary
3. 三つ (mitsu) (Japanese) - Wiktionary

Updated August 2026

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Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris