Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

Get the Kotomora apps for iOS and Android.

Explore Words Kanji Grammar Guides About Support Privacy

Copyright © 2026 Kotomora. All Rights Reserved.

中東 (ちゅうとう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

中ちゅう東とう

ちゅ

う

と

う

Common word›JLPTN3›Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

Middle East

A neutral geographic and geopolitical term, common in news and academic contexts. It can modify other nouns in compounds such as 中東情勢 and 中東地域.

中ちゅう東とうでは石せき油ゆの生せい産さんが盛さかんだ。

Oil production is active in the Middle East.

中ちゅう東とう情じょう勢せいがニュースで大おおきく取とり上あげられた。

The situation in the Middle East was covered prominently in the news.

Usage patterns

中ちゅう東とう情じょう勢せいが〈形けい容よう詞し〉the situation in the Middle East is (adjective)
中ちゅう東とう情じょう勢せいが不ふ安あん定ていになっている。
The situation in the Middle East is becoming unstable.
中ちゅう東とうで〈事こと〉が起おきる(an event) happens in the Middle East
中ちゅう東とうで大おおきな戦せん争そうが起おきた。
A major war broke out in the Middle East.
中ちゅう東とうを訪ほう問もんするto visit the Middle East
首しゅ相しょうは来らい週しゅう、中ちゅう東とうを訪ほう問もんする予よ定ていだ。
The prime minister is scheduled to visit the Middle East next week.

Kanji

中in, inside, middle
東east

Related words

西にしアジア
西アジア is a purely geographic label for the region, while 中東 carries the political and cultural framing typically used in news and diplomacy.
アラブ諸しょ国こく
アラブ諸国 refers only to Arab-majority countries, whereas 中東 also includes non-Arab nations like Iran and Israel.

Opposites

極きょく東とう
極東 (the Far East) and 中東 (the Middle East) are the two classic Eurocentric geographic terms used as opposite reference points from Europe.

Don't confuse with

中ちゅう近きん東とう
中近東 looks and sounds similar to 中東 and largely overlaps with it, but 中近東 explicitly includes the Near East as well, making it a broader, more old-fashioned diplomatic term.
中ちゅう等とう
中東 is pronounced the same as 中等 but means 'the Middle East' (a geographic region), an unrelated word distinguished only by context and kanji.
極きょく東とう
極東 means the Far East (East Asia), while 中東 means the Middle East; learners often confuse these two 東-region names.

Etymology

A Sino-Japanese compound formed from 中 meaning “middle” and 東 meaning “east,” corresponding to the English geographic term “Middle East.”