異国

See also: 异国

Japanese

Pronunciation

(Tokyo) いこく [ìkókú] (Heiban – [0])
IPA^(key): [iko̞kɯ̟]

Etymology 1

Kanji in this term
異	国
い Grade: 6	こく Grade: 2
on'yomi

Alternative spelling
異國 (kyūjitai)

From Sinitic 異國 / 异国 (yìguó).

Noun

異(い)国(こく) • (ikoku)

A foreign country; a foreign land; a country external to Japan.
- Nippo Jisho (in Japanese), 1603-1604, page 329: “Icocu. イコク Cotonaru cuni. (異なる国) 他の国、あるいは、外国人の国.”
- Gennabon Kagakushū (in Japanese), 1617, page 7: “異國 (イコク)”

Usage notes

While synonymous with 外国 (gaikoku), this latter term is more common, while 異国 is a more formal term, suggesting “foreign lands, the exotic”.

Synonyms

外(がい)国(こく) (gaikoku)
異(い)邦(ほう) (ihō)

Derived terms

異(い)国(こく)人(じん) (ikokujin): a foreigner

Etymology 2

Kanji in this term
異	国
こと Grade: 6	くに Grade: 2
kun'yomi

Alternative spelling
異國 (kyūjitai)

From Old Japanese 異 (koto, “different, other”) +‎ 国 (kuni, “country, land”).

Noun

異(こと)国(くに) • (kotokuni)

(archaic) A different land, a strange land.
(archaic) A foreign country.

Synonyms

(different land):
- 異(い)郷(きょう) (ikyō)
- 他(た)国(こく) (takoku), 他(ひと)国(くに) (hitokuni)
(foreign country):
- 外(がい)国(こく) (gaikoku)
- 異(い)邦(ほう) (ihō)

References

Doi, Tadao (1980) [1603-1604] Hōyaku Nippo Jisho, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
Fukkoku Nihon Koten Zenshū: Setsuyōshū, Tōkyō: Gendai Shichō Shinsha, 2006 [1597], →ISBN