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西洋 (せいよう, seiyou) Japanese meaning: the West | Kotomora
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洋よう
の
文ぶん
化か
に
興きょう
味み
が
あり
ます
。
I'm interested in Western culture.
He is researching Western history.
Related words 欧米 specifically means Europe and America and is common in political/economic contexts, while 西洋 is the broader, more cultural/historical term for 'the West'.
西欧 narrowly means Western Europe, whereas 西洋 more broadly covers Europe together with North America.
西洋 specifically means 'the West/Europe', while 洋 as a prefix broadly marks anything Western or foreign in compounds like 洋食.
Opposites 東洋 refers to the East (East Asia), while 西洋 refers to the West (Europe and North America); the two are commonly used as a contrasting pair.
西洋 refers to the West, the geographic and cultural opposite of 東邦, which refers to the East.
Written forms 西せい 洋よう Usage 97%
Standard kanji spelling for 'the West' or 'Western countries'.
セイヨウ Usage 2%
Etymology Compound of 西 (west) and 洋 (ocean), originally referring to the Western world across the ocean from Japan. The exact historical derivation is straightforward.
よう
史し
Western history; history of the Western world
English holly; Ilex aquifolium
Show 5 more common ash; European ash
European pear; common pear
Eurasian hazel; common hazel
Western ways; Western customs; Western style
checkers; draughts
