Editing Karafuto Prefecture (section)

==Name==
The Japanese name ''Karafuto'' purportedly comes from [[Ainu language|Ainu]] {{lang|ain|kamuy kar put ya mosir}} ({{lang|ain|カムィ・カㇻ・プッ・ヤ・モシㇼ}}), which means {{gloss|the island a god has created on the estuary (of [[Amur River]])}}.{{Not verified in body|date=March 2024}} It was formerly known as ''Kita Ezo'', meaning Northern [[Ezo]] (Ezo was the former name for [[Hokkaido]]). When Japan governed the southern part of the island, they referred to it as ''Minami Karafuto'' ({{lang|ja|南樺太}}, South Karafuto) or simply ''Karafuto'' ({{lang|ja|樺太}}). The northern part of the island was called ''Kita Karafuto'' ({{lang|ja|北樺太}}, North Karafuto) or simply ''Sagaren'' ({{lang|ja|薩哈嗹}}).

In [[Russian language|Russian]], the entire island was named ''Sakhalin'' or ''Saghalien''. It is from [[Manchu language|Manchu]] ''sahaliyan ula angga hada'', meaning "peak of the mouth of Amur River". The southern part was simply called ''Yuzhny Sakhalin'' ("South Sakhalin"). In [[Korean language|Korean]], the name is ''Sahallin'' or ''Hwataedo'', with the latter name in use during [[Korea under Japanese rule]].