Russian Language Exported: SIVUCH
The Russian name for the Steller sea lion unexpectedly became the name for the walrus in Japanese.
The ‘sivuch’ (Bulgarian ‘сивуч’, Japanese ‘セイウチ’, ‘seiuchi’) is a massive eared seal inhabiting the northern Pacific Ocean. In other languages, the animal is called Steller sea lion, but the Russian name has been preserved in Japanese, Bulgarian, Belarusian and Ukrainian. Moreover, in Japanese, ‘seiuchi’ does not mean a sea lion, but a walrus! Back in the 19th century, Japanese sailors began actively interacting with Russians, from whom they learned this word.
