Japanese word

異国

Pronunciation

Romajiikoku

Meaning

  • nounforeign country

Example

私は異国の料理を食べてみたいです。watashi wa i koku no ryō ri o ta be te mi ta i de su

I want to try food from a foreign country.

Illustration for 異国 (foreign country)

More examples

いつか異国で暮らしてみたいです。i tsu ka i koku de ku ra shi te mi ta i de su

I would like to live in a foreign country someday.

Core concept

Describes a country outside one's own that is experienced as unfamiliar in its culture, customs, or way of life.

Common phrases

  • 異国の地i koku no chi

    a foreign land

  • 異国の文化i koku no bun ka

    foreign culture

  • 異国で暮らすi koku de ku ra su

    live in a foreign country

Similar words

外国gaikoku: A country that is not one's own.
他国takoku: A country other than one's own or the country under discussion.
異邦ihō: A foreign land described with a literary or old-fashioned tone.

Definition in Japanese

自国とは異なる文化や習慣を持つ国。ji koku to wa koto na ru bun ka ya shū kan o mo tsu kuni

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 異国 (ikoku) joins 異 (i, "different") with 国 (koku, "country").

Usage tips

  • Japanese uses 異国 (ikoku) more often in literary or historical contexts than in everyday conversation, where 外国 (gaikoku) is more common.

Opposites

Related words

  • 異国的ikokutekiexoticna-adjective

Word lists with this word