Translation guide
How to say 'European' in Japanese, covering nationality, ethnicity, and descriptive uses.
Referring to a person from Europe or of European descent.
Standard, neutral term for a European person.
彼はヨーロッパ人です。
He is European.
More formal or written term, often used in news or official contexts.
欧州人の観光客が増えている。
The number of European tourists is increasing.
Literally 'Westerner', can include Europeans but also Americans, etc. Broader and less precise.
Not a direct equivalent; use only when the context is clearly about 'the West' vs. 'the East'.
西洋人はパンをよく食べる。
Westerners often eat bread.
Describing something as relating to Europe.
The most common way to say 'European [something]'. Uses the noun ヨーロッパ with the possessive/no-adjective particle の.
ヨーロッパの文化は多様だ。
European culture is diverse.
ヨーロッパの国々
European countries
Formal/written alternative to ヨーロッパの, common in news and official names.
欧州の経済状況
the European economic situation
Means 'European-style', used in compound words like 欧風料理 (European-style cuisine).
Referring to the European Union specifically.
ヨーロッパ is the everyday word for Europe. 欧州 is more formal and often appears in compounds like 欧州連合 (EU) or 欧州人. In casual speech, stick to ヨーロッパ.
The direct loanword ヨーロピアン exists but is rarely used for people; it sounds unnatural. Use ヨーロッパ人 instead.
ヨーロッパの国々を旅行したいです。
I want to travel to European countries.
彼女はヨーロッパ人です。
She is European.
欧風カレー
European-style curry