The term "Java arquebus" is a translation of the [[Chinese language|Chinese]] word 爪哇銃 (Zua Wa Chong).<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|last=Tiaoyuan|first=Li|title=South Vietnamese Notes|publisher=Guangju Book Office|year=1969}}</ref> In the local language the weapon was known by various names, [[Bedil (term)|bedil]] or bedhil is more commonly used. However, this term has a broad meaning -— it may refer to various types of [[firearm]]s and gunpowder weapons, from small pistols to large [[siege guns]]. The term ''bedil'' comes from ''wedil'' (or ''wediyal'') and ''wediluppu'' (or ''wediyuppu'') in the [[Tamil language|Tamil]] language.<ref name=":1">{{Cite journal|last=Kern|first=H.|date=January 1902|title=Oorsprong van het Maleisch Woord Bedil|journal=Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde |volume=54|pages=311–312|doi=10.1163/22134379-90002058|doi-access=free}}</ref> In its original form, these words refer to gunpowder blast and [[saltpeter]], respectively. But after being absorbed into ''bedil'' in the [[Malay language]], and in a number of other cultures in the archipelago, that Tamil vocabulary is used to refer to all types of weapons that use gunpowder. In [[Javanese language|Javanese]] and [[Balinese language|Balinese]] the term ''bedil'' and ''bedhil'' is known, in [[Sundanese language|Sundanese]] the term is ''bedil'', in [[Batak languages|Batak]] it is known as ''bodil'', in [[Makassarese language|Makasarese]], ''badili'', in [[Buginese language|Buginese]], ''balili'', in [[Dayak language]], ''badil'', in [[Tagalog language|Tagalog]], ''baril'', in [[Bisayan languages|Bisayan]], ''bádil'', in [[Bikol languages]], ''badil'', and [[Malay People|Malay people]] call it ''badel'' or ''bedil''.<ref name=":1" /><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://jantungmelayu.com/2018/08/kitab-ilmu-bedil-melayu/|title=Kitab Ilmu Bedil Melayu|last=Syahri|first=Aswandi|date=6 August 2018|website=Jantung Melayu|access-date=10 February 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last=Rahmawati|first=Siska|date=2016|title=Peristilahan Persenjataan Tradisional Masyarakat Melayu di Kabupaten Sambas|url=http://jurnal.untan.ac.id/index.php/jpdpb/article/view/15615|journal=Jurnal Pendidikan Dan Pembelajaran Khatulistiwa|volume=5}}</ref>
