Some linguists have pointed out the similarities of the Japanese language and the names of the statelets found in Byeonhan at the time. According to the theory, two of the statelets include a suffix , which has been compared with Late Middle Korean and
Proto-Japonic *, both meaning 'base, bottom' and claimed by
Samuel Martin to be cognate. Mioyama in particular has a suffix , which is commonly identified with Proto-Japonic 'mountain'. The
Gaya confederacy, which succeeded Byeonhan, maintained trading relations with Japan, until it was overrun by Silla in the early 6th century. A single word is explicitly attributed to the
Gaya language, in chapter 44 of the
Samguk sagi: Because the character was used to transcribe the Silla word ancestral to Middle Korean 'ridge', philologists have inferred that the Gaya word for 'gate' had a similar pronunciation. This word has been compared with the
Old Japanese word 'gate, door'. == See also ==