How to Say "World" in Japanese

世界

sekai[se̞ka̠i]

The Japanese word for "world" is 世界 (sekai).

世界 is the most common and widely used term for "world" in Japanese. It is used to refer to the world as a social, cultural or physical entity.

Meaning: inhabited planet (noun)

What does it mean word for word?

The word is composed of the kanji 世 meaning generation or era and 界 meaning boundary, world or interface.

sekai

The word 世界 originated as a translation of the Sanskrit term 'lokadhātu' and arrived in Japan via Buddhist texts.
The kanji for 'world' can be used metaphorically in Japanese to describe a person's specialized field or a very specific, limited social circle.
If you want to talk about the Earth as a physical, geological object, you should use 地球 ('chikyū') instead of 世界. While 世界 is the 'world' of human experience, 地球 is the 'world' of rocks and oceans.

世界は広い。
The world is vast.
This sentence is useful for describing the vastness of the 世界.
Tatoeba #11256098 by sh5555, translation #11306879 by 58mph
夢は世界一周です。
My dream is to take a round-the-world trip.
This sentence is useful for expressing a desire to travel around the 世界.
Tatoeba #9977336 by small_snow, translation #322756 by CK
一つの世界である。
There is one world.
This sentence is useful for stating that there is a single 世界.
Tatoeba #10901691 by small_snow, translation #11375943 by purehearted
彼は世界で一番有名なピアニストです。
He is the most famous pianist in the world.
君は本当に面白い人だよ、世にも珍しい。
You're truly an interesting person, one of a kind in the world.
世の中は広いし、可能性も無限大だ。
The world is vast, and the possibilities are limitless.
419 more sentences on Tatoeba

Two friends are looking at a globe in a classroom.

美咲 Misaki

世界は本当に大きいね。
Sekai wa hontou ni ookii ne.
The world is truly huge, isn't it?
陽太 Yota

そうだね、どこにでも行きたいよ。
Sou da ne, doko ni demo ikitai yo.
That's true, I want to go anywhere.
美咲 Misaki

陽太くんはどこに行きたいの？
Youta-kun wa doko ni ikitai no?
Where do you want to go, Youta?
陽太 Yota

僕はもっと広い世界を見たい。
Boku wa motto hiroi sekai o mitai.
I want to see a wider world.

Sources

Wiktionary, “world” translations and entries 世界, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
Word origins: Wiktionary entries 世界, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.

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