*SET-U

English word origin

Etymology of koban

Borrowed from Japanese 小判(こばん) (koban).

2 source sectionsBrief source recordWiktionary original ↗
In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗
noun

An oval gold coin in the Edo period of feudal Japan.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Japanese 小判(こばん) (koban).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Koban (coin)"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "小判",
        "2": "こばん"
      },
      "expansion": "小判(こばん) (koban)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "小判(こばん)",
      "小判#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "An oval gold coin in the Edo period of feudal Japan."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "43cf6874f89c9ece2da6d5214c9d133ec7b2152145c2594e06d0b653c78832a2",
      "rawRecordSha256": "39ff3fd50d2d687c4e8a36958b5c36ce4f1d9f4902623e8765dca57fd5099e23",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2327698
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗
noun

A small community police office or a police box, especially one in Japan.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

Borrowed from Japanese 交番(こうばん) (kōban).

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "wp",
      "args": {
        "1": "Kōban"
      },
      "expansion": ""
    },
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ja",
        "3": "-"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Japanese"
    },
    {
      "name": "ja-r",
      "args": {
        "1": "交番",
        "2": "こうばん"
      },
      "expansion": "交番(こうばん) (kōban)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "Ginza",
      "Ginza"
    ],
    [
      "交番(こうばん)",
      "交番#Japanese"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small community police office or a police box, especially one in Japan."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "45e43f68bf0ce57e51c4d8c3d702d92269a924b7d3de38bc547b3a75cabd0a11",
      "rawRecordSha256": "ed498082a8ac2d27c769d9dbdd5e3880f89d4d32233bfd6d79a8dbb3ba1dcb85",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 2327699
    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
    "links": 0,
    "references": 0,
    "descendants": 0,
    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for koban →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger
Machine-source provenance
Source SHA-256
5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run
73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID
w-a29iYW4