イギリス
Igirisu[iɡʲiɾʲisɨ]
The English phrase Britain is translated into Japanese as イギリス (Igirisu).
イギリス refers to the island or the country of Britain.
Meaning: island (name)
How do you pronounce it?
Igirisu
Did you know?
- The name イギリス does not actually mean 'Britain' or 'England' in its linguistic roots, but is a phonetic adaptation of the Portuguese word 'inglês', meaning 'English'.
- While イギリス is the common name for Britain, Japanese also has a formal name for the UK, 英国 'Eikoku'. The first character 英 is used as a shorthand symbol for Britain in news headlines and maps.
- While English speakers distinguish between 'Great Britain' and the 'United Kingdom', Japanese speakers frequently use イギリス as a catch-all term for both, often blurring the political and geographic distinctions.
Examples in context
- イギリスは島です。Britain is an island.This sentence is useful for identifying that イギリス is an island.Tatoeba #9106981 by small_snow, translation #8095181 by CarpeLanam
- 日本もイギリスも島国だ。Japan and Britain are island countries.This sentence is useful for comparing the island status of Japan and イギリス.Tatoeba #3465001 by arnab, translation #281264 by CK
- 彼はイギリスへ行ってしまった。He has gone to Britain.This sentence is useful for describing movement toward イギリス.Tatoeba #114698 by bunbuku, translation #288974 by CK
- わたしはイギリスからきましたI'm from Britain.
- イギリスは美しい国ですねBritain is a beautiful country, isn't it?
- 15 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Two friends are talking about travel plans at a cafe.
- 美咲 Misakiイギリスに行きたいです。Igirisu ni ikitai desu.I want to go to Britain.
- 大翔 Hirotoイギリスはいい国ですね。Igirisu wa ii kuni desu ne.Britain is a good country, isn't it?
- 美咲 Misaki歴史がとても面白そうです。Rekishi ga totemo omoshirosou desu.The history looks very interesting.
- 大翔 Hiroto美咲さんもきっと好きになりますよ。Misaki-san mo kitto suki ni narimasu yo.I'm sure you will love it too, Misaki.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry イギリス, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries イギリス, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
