noun
Refers to a large landmass; often used in geographical contexts. Compare with 大陸 (たいりく), which can also mean 'continent' but is more common.
See also: 大陸 (たいりく) · 五大州 (ごだいしゅう)
アジアは世界最大の大州です。
Asia is the largest continent in the world.
五大州の一つとして、アフリカ大州
As one of the five continents, the African continent is mentioned.
Compound of 大 (たい, 'large') and 州 (しゅう, 'state' or 'landmass'). The kanji 州 originally meant 'sandbank' or 'island' and later came to denote a large land area.