the Occident and the Orient; East and West
Used in formal or historical contexts to refer to the Western and Eastern worlds together, often with emphasis on the West. Common in set phrases like 洋の東西.
This idea has spread regardless of East or West.
Literary or poetic term for the ocean. Not used in everyday conversation; modern Japanese prefers 海.
Prefix used in compounds to indicate Western or foreign origin, as in 洋食 (Western-style food), 洋服 (Western clothing), 洋楽 (Western music).
He set sail on the vast ocean.
Which do you prefer, Western food or Japanese food?
From Middle Chinese 洋 (yang, 'ocean, vast'). The 'Western' meaning developed in Japanese through compounds like 西洋 (the West).
Western style; Western-style
ocean
Western book; foreign book
on the sea; offshore; maritime
open sea; ocean
Western liquor; Western wine and spirits
Western clothing; Western-style dress
Western dressmaking; tailoring
overseas travel (to Western countries); going abroad (to study or travel) · foreign-operated store (in pre-communist China)
Western-style room
ocean; deep sea; pelagic
Western-style clothing and accessories; haberdashery
European pear; common pear
northern waters; northern seas
grey parrot; African grey parrot
Western writing; Western text · calque; loan translation
vast; boundless; broad
crossing the ocean; ocean crossing
the East; the Orient; East Asia · Japan
Western-style room
inland sea; inlet; gulf; bay