Abstract: Geographic names are the cultural symbols marking certain places.They contain abundant historical,geographical and humane information,which form a unique culture used to identify,give name and communicate.In most cases,the places in a national region are named by its natives in their own language,which reflects the cultural traits of a nation,including its psychological state,manners and customs.Hence,geographic names usually bear the hallmark of the culture originated in a region.However,the signs of geographic names in Japan are given with the borrowing of Chinese characters or Chinese geographical names,which are imbued with the flavor of the Chinese characters’ culture.It is Chinese characters that contributed to the Geographic names’ culture of Japan.If Chinese characters had not been introduced into Japan,its rich and colorful geographic names’ culture would not have been established.

Key words: Japan, geographic names’culture, Chinese characters&rsquo, culture