北朝鮮
Kita Chōsen[kʲi̥ta̠ t͡ɕo̞ːsẽ̞ɴ]
North Korea in Japanese is 北朝鮮 (Kita Chōsen). If unsure, use 北朝鮮. Wiktionary also lists 北韓 (Hokkan).
Meaning: a country in East Asia whose territory consists of the northern part of Korea (name)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 北朝鮮 | Kita Chōsen | [kʲi̥ta̠ t͡ɕo̞ːsẽ̞ɴ] (narrow) |
| 北韓 | Hokkan | [ho̞k̚kã̠ɴ] (narrow) |
北朝鮮 is used to refer to the country in East Asia whose territory consists of the northern part of the Korean peninsula.
What does it mean word for word?
The term 北朝鮮 is composed of 北 (north) and 朝鮮 (Chōsen), which is the Japanese reading of the name for the Korean peninsula.
Which one should you use?
北朝鮮 (Kita Chōsen) is the standard term used in daily conversation and general media, whereas 北韓 (Hokkan) is often used in journalistic shorthand.
How do you pronounce it?
Kita Chōsen
Did you know?
- Because 北朝鮮 and 韓国 use different root words, you cannot simply swap 'North' and 'South' to change the country name.
- The word 朝鮮 (Chōsen) refers to the entire Korean peninsula, but using it today to refer to Korea can be politically sensitive or seen as an outdated colonial term depending on the context.
- The term 北朝鮮 is a calque, which means it is a literal translation of the North Korean name for itself, 북조선 (Bukjoseon).
Examples in context
- 北朝鮮と韓国は隣同士です。North Korea and South Korea are neighbors.This sentence is useful for describing the relationship between North Korea and South Korea using 北朝鮮.Tatoeba #11557988 by small_snow, translation #6058790 by RobinvanderVliet
- 今日のトピックは「北朝鮮による日本人拉致問題」です。Today's topic is "the problem of Japanese people abducted by North Korea".This sentence illustrates how to mention the abduction problem involving North Korea using 北朝鮮.Tatoeba #76145 by kamojun, translation #327573 by shekitten
- 平壌は北朝鮮の首都です。Pyongyang is the capital of North Korea.This sentence is useful for identifying the capital of North Korea using 北朝鮮.Tatoeba #13189953 by atitarev, translation #6058759 by RobinvanderVliet
- 日本政府は、北朝鮮との外交関係を改善したいと考えている。The Japanese government aims to improve diplomatic relations with North Korea.
- 最近、北の情勢はどうなってる？How's the situation in the North lately?
- 3 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Kenta are talking about their world travel goals.
- 美咲 Misakiいつか北朝鮮に行ってみたいです。Itsuka Kita Chōsen ni itte mitai desu.I want to visit North Korea someday.
- 健太 Kentaえっ、本当に？危なくないですか？E, hontō ni? Abunakunai desu ka?What, really? Isn't it dangerous?
- 美咲 Misakiでも、北朝鮮の文化に興味があるんです。Demo, Kita Chōsen no bunka ni kyōmi ga aru n desu.But I'm interested in North Korean culture.
- 健太 Kentaなるほど。それはすごい好奇心ですね。Naruhodo. Sore wa sugoi kōkishin desu ne.I see. That's some great curiosity.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “north korea” translations and entries 北朝鮮, 北韓, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 北朝鮮, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
