東とう洋よう

と

う

よ

う

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

noun

the East; the Orient; East Asia

Refers broadly to East Asia, often contrasted with 西洋 (the West). Used in geographical, cultural, and historical contexts.

Kanji

東east
洋ocean, sea, foreign

Related words

アジアN4sense 1
アジア is the neutral geographic term for the whole continent of Asia, while 東洋 specifically evokes East Asian culture and history and is often paired against 西洋.
東とう邦ほう
東洋 is the common, everyday word for 'the Orient/East', while 東邦 is a rarer, more literary term for the same idea.
東とう方ほう
東洋 specifically means East Asia and its culture, while 東方 is a more literary term that can also simply mean the cardinal direction east.
オリエント
東洋 is the native Japanese term for the East and is used far more often in everyday speech, while オリエント is a loanword mainly used in historical or art-historical contexts.

Opposites

西せい洋ようN4sense 1
東洋 refers to the East (East Asia), while 西洋 refers to the West (Europe and the Americas), making them direct geographic and cultural opposites.

Word family· 8

東とう洋よう人じん
Asian person; Oriental
東とう洋よう史し
Asian history; Oriental history
東とう洋よう学がく
Oriental studies; Orientalism
東とう洋よう蘭らん
Oriental orchid; orchid of Oriental origin

Written forms

東とう洋ようUsage100%
Standard kanji spelling; high-frequency in news and general use.
トウヨウUsage<1%

Etymology

From Chinese 東洋 (dōngyáng), literally 'eastern ocean', referring to the lands across the sea to the east. Adopted into Japanese with the same meaning.

東とう洋よう医い学がく

Oriental medicine; Eastern medicine

Show 3 more

東とう洋よう哲てつ学がく
Eastern philosophy; Asian philosophy
東とう洋よう段だん通つう
Oriental rug
トウヨウヒナコウモリ
Asian particolored bat