Was "jih pun"- an origin of "Japan", came from Cantonese? Looking up the origin of pun, I came across this for the origin of Japan. I suspect jih pun must be Cantonese. Tang Ho, as resident Cantonese expert, is that so??

http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?allowed_in_frame=0&amp;search=pun

Japan: 1570s, via Portuguese Japao, Dutch Japan, acquired in Malacca from Malay Japang, from Chinese jih pun, literally "sunrise" (equivalent of Japanese Nippon), from jih "sun" + pun "origin." Japan lies to the east of China. Earliest form in Europe was Marco Polo's Chipangu.
日 means "Sun"

本 means "origin"


  http://www.cantonese.sheik.co.uk/dictionary/words/410/
  
  日本 Japan
  
  jat6 bun2   (jyutping)
  
  ri4 ben3, lv4 ben3   (pinyin)


Japanese pronunciation of 日本 is /ni pon/ (Nippon), 

Chinese use the Japanese Kanji 日本 and pronounce it as Chinese characters. 


Cantonese pronounce it as /jat6 bun2/ 
Mandarin pronounce it as /ri4 ben3/ or / lv4 ben3/ 


The Cantonese pronunciation of 日本 is in deed more similar to /jih pun/ than the Mandarin pronunciation does.