西語

西語

1. (obsolescent) Western languages
2. Short for 西班牙語／西班牙语 (xībānyáyǔ, “Spanish language”).

In ancient times, this word referred to the languages of Xiyu or the Western Regions, and sometimes to Sanskrit as well. During the 19th and 20th centuries, people mostly used this word to refer to European languages. This usage—referring to languages in general rather than any specific one—remains standard to this day, as defined in the 7th edition of Xiandai Hanyu Cidian. Nonetheless, it is increasingly used nowadays as a shorthand of Spanish. The original sense is rarely used now and is gradually being forgotten.

• 西文 (xīwén)

西(せい) (sei, which is an ateji (当て字) abbreviation for 西班牙(スペイン) (Supein, “Spain”)) + 語(ご) (go, “language”)

• IPA^(key):

西(せい)語(ご) • (seigo) 

1. Spanish language

   Synonym: スペイン語