異国

See also: 异国

Japanese

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) 

1. A foreign country; a foreign land; a country external to Japan.
   • Nippo Jisho, 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, 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

• 外国(がいこく) (gaikoku)
• 異邦(いほう) (ihō)

Derived terms

• 異国人(いこくじん) (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) 

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

Synonyms

• (different land):
  • 異郷(いきょう) (ikyō)
  • 他国(たこく) (takoku), 他国(ひとくに) (hitokuni)
• (foreign country):
  • 外国(がいこく) (gaikoku)
  • 異邦(いほう) (ihō)

References

• Doi, Tadao (1980) Hōyaku Nippo Jisho, Tōkyō: Iwanami Shoten, →ISBN
• Fukkoku Nihon Koten Zenshū: Setsuyōshū, Tōkyō: Gendai Shichō Shinsha, 2006, →ISBN