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列島 (れっとう) Japanese meaning | Kotomora

列れっ島とう

れ

っ

と

う

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 20,000

Meanings

1

noun

archipelago; chain of islands

General term for a group or chain of islands. Often used in geographical names like 日本列島 (Japanese archipelago).

日本にほんは列れっ島とうの国くにです。
Japan is an archipelago nation.
フィリピンは七なな千せん以い上じょうの島しまからなる列れっ島とうです。
The Philippines is an archipelago consisting of over 7,000 islands.

Kanji

列file, row, rank
島island

Similar words

群ぐん島とう
群島 also means a group of islands, but is more often used for smaller clusters or specific named island groups (e.g., 小笠原群島). 列島 emphasizes a chain-like arrangement and is more common for large archipelagos.
諸しょ島とう
諸島 means 'various islands' or 'islands' and is used in names like 南西諸島. It is broader and less specific about arrangement than 列島.

Etymology

Compound of 列 (れつ, 'row, line') and 島 (とう, 'island'), literally 'row of islands'.