Editing Guinea pig (section)

=== Other languages ===
Guinea pigs are called ''{{lang|qu|quwi}}'' or ''{{lang|qu|jaca}}'' in [[Quechuan languages|Quechua]] and {{lang|es|cuy}} or {{lang|es|cuyo}} (plural ''cuyes, cuyos'') in the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia.<ref name="diccionario">{{cite web |title=Diccionario de la Lengua Española |url=http://buscon.rae.es/draeI/ |access-date=2007-03-12 |publisher=Real Academia Española |language=es}}</ref>

The animal's name alludes to pigs in many European languages. The [[German language|German]] word for them is {{lang|de|Meerschweinchen}}, literally "little sea pig", in [[Polish language|Polish]] they are called {{lang|pl|świnka morska}}, in [[Hungarian language|Hungarian]] as {{lang|hu|tengerimalac}}, and in {{Langx|ru|морская свинка|translit=morskaya svinka}}. The German word derives from the [[Middle High German]] name ''Merswin''. This word originally meant "[[dolphin]]" and was used because of the animals' grunting sounds (which were thought to be similar).<ref>Duden – ''Deutsches Universalwörterbuch''. 4. Aufl. Mannheim 2001. [CD-ROM]</ref>

Many other, possibly less scientifically based, explanations of the German name exist. For example, sailing ships stopping to reprovision in the [[New World]] would pick up guinea pig stores, providing an easily transportable source of fresh meat. The [[French language|French]] term is ''[[wikt:fr:cavia|cochon d'Inde]]'' (Indian pig), or ''cobaye''; the [[Netherlands|Dutch]] called it ''[[wikt:nl:cavia|Guinees biggetje]]'' (Guinean piglet), or cavia (in some Dutch dialects it is called {{lang|nl|Spaanse rat}}); and in Portuguese, the guinea pig is variously referred to as ''[[wikt:pt:cobaia|cobaia]]'', from the [[Tupian languages|Tupi]] word via its Latinization, or as {{lang|pt|porquinho da Índia}} (little Indian pig). This association with pigs is not universal among European terms; for example, the common word in Spanish is ''[[wikt:es:conejillo de Indias|conejillo de Indias]]'' (little rabbit of the Indies).<ref name="diccionario" />

The Chinese refer to the animal as {{lang|zh|豚鼠}} (''túnshǔ'', "pig mouse"), and sometimes as {{lang|zh|荷蘭豬}} (''hélánzhū'', 'Netherlands pig') or {{lang|zh|天竺鼠}} (''tiānzhúshǔ'', "Indian mouse"). The Japanese word for guinea pig is {{lang|ja|モルモット}} ({{Transliteration|ja|morumotto}}), which derives from the name of another mountain-dwelling rodent, the [[marmot]]. This word is how the guinea pigs were called by Dutch traders, who first brought them to [[Nagasaki]] in 1843. The other, and less common, Japanese word for guinea pig, using kanji, is 天竺鼠 (てんじくねずみ or {{Transliteration|ja|tenjiku-nezumi}}), which translates as "India rat".<ref>{{Cite web |title=tenjiku-nezumi – Meaning in Japanese {{!}} 天竺鼠 – Names of Animals in Japanese |url=https://animals.japanesewithanime.com/animals/tenjikunezumi |access-date=2018-09-15 |website=animals.japanesewithanime.com |language=en-us}}</ref>