Karafuto

[ Japanese kah-rah-foo-taw ]

noun

, History/Historical.

1. a former prefecture of Japan comprising the southern half of Sakhalin during 1907–49: established from territory acquired in the treaty ending the Russo-Japanese War and restored to Russia after World War II.

Karafuto

/ ˌkɑːrɑːˈfuːtɔ /

noun

1. transliteration of the Japanese name for Sakhalin

Word History and Origins

Origin of Karafuto¹

First recorded in 1880–85; from Japanese, from Ainu kamuy kar put ya mosir “the island that the god has created on the estuary (of the Amur River),” usually referring only to the southern part of Sakhalin

Example Sentences

Ms. Nisio, 89, said that her mother had brought her from southwestern Korea to Karafuto Prefecture, as southern Sakhalin was once known, where Ms. Nisio’s uncle worked in a coal mine.

From New York Times

When asked, on August 10, why Japan had to surrender so quickly, Prime Minister Suzuki explained, Japan must surrender immediately or "the Soviet Union will take not only Manchuria, Korea, Karafuto, but also Hokkaido. This would destroy the foundation of Japan. We must end the war when we can deal with the United States."

From US News

He was born Ivan Boryshko on Karafuto, the Japanese half of the island now controlled by Russia and called Sakhalin.

From The Guardian

Between 1905 and 1945, the Japanese invested heavily in southern Sakhalin, which they called Karafuto.

From BBC

The seizure of the Kuriles would completely open the way for United Nations forces to flow into Manchuria and Karafuto.

From Time Magazine Archive