noun, noun, used as a suffix
state; province; regional administrative division
Used for subnational administrative units in foreign countries: U.S. or Australian states, Canadian provinces, U.K. counties, Italian regions, Swiss cantons, Russian oblasts, and similar units. Very common as a suffix after a place name.
彼はカリフォルニア州に住んでいる。
He lives in the state of California.
アメリカでは、州によって法律が違う。
In the United States, laws differ from state to state.
noun, noun, used as a suffix
Geography use for a continent or continental-scale region, especially in compounds such as 六大州 or 五大洲. In ordinary speech, 大陸 is often the more transparent word for a physical continent.
地理の授業で六大州を習った。
We learned the six continents in geography class.
noun, used as a suffix
old Japanese province
Historical suffix referring to an old province of Japan, parallel to 国 in older place names. It remains visible in traditional regional names such as 信州 and 甲州.
See also: 国
信州は、昔の信濃国に由来する呼び名だ。
Shinshū is a name derived from the old province of Shinano.
noun, noun, used as a suffix
ancient Chinese province; prefecture; department
Historical administrative term in Chinese contexts. Depending on period and translation convention, 州 may be rendered as province, prefecture, or department.
唐代には、州が地方行政の単位として置かれた。
In the Tang period, zhou were established as units of local administration.
suffix
Archaic suffix placed after a person's name to express affection or endearment. This is not a productive modern honorific.
古い文章では、人名の後ろに付く「州」が親愛を表す敬称として説明される。
In old writing, 州 attached after a person's name is explained as an affectionate honorific.
県 is Japan's prefecture-level administrative unit and is also used for some foreign prefectures; 州 is the usual word for foreign states, provinces, and similar larger regional divisions.
国 means country or, historically, an old Japanese province; 州 is used for subnational divisions abroad and as a historical province suffix in names such as 信州.
大陸 is the ordinary word for a physical continent or mainland; 州 is a geography-classification term in compounds such as 六大州.
Sino-Japanese しゅう for 州. The character is conventionally associated with geographic or administrative divisions, and the alternate 洲 is associated with landmasses or islets. The administrative meanings reflect older Chinese-derived usage rather than a native Japanese formation.