イギリス

イ

ギ

リ

ス

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

noun

United Kingdom; UK; Britain

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. In everyday Japanese, イギリス is the standard name for the UK.

from Portuguese inglês

イギリスはヨーロッパの北ほく西せいに位い置ちする島とう国こくです。
The United Kingdom is an island nation located in northwestern Europe.

来らい年ねん、イギリスに留りゅう学がくする予よ定ていです。

I plan to study abroad in the UK next year.

2

noun

England

usually written using kana alonecolloquial

Colloquially, イギリス is sometimes used to mean England specifically, though technically England is イングランド.

イギリスと言いえば、ロンドンやビッグベンを思おもい浮うかべる人ひとが多おおい。
When you say 'イギリス', many people think of London and Big Ben.

Written forms

イギリスUsage100%
Standard katakana spelling; the word is usually written in kana.
英吉利いぎりすUsage<1%
ateji (phonetic kanji usage)rarely-used kanji form
Ateji spelling; rarely used.

Kanji

英England, English, hero
吉good luck, joy, congratulations
利profit, advantage, benefit

Similar words

イングランド
イングランド refers specifically to England, one of the constituent countries of the UK. イギリス normally refers to the whole United Kingdom, but can colloquially mean England.
英えい国こく
英国 is a more formal or written abbreviation for the United Kingdom, often used in news or official contexts. イギリス is the common spoken and written form.

Etymology

From Portuguese 'inglês' (English), via early contact with Portuguese traders. The exact path of borrowing is uncertain, but the word became the standard Japanese name for the United Kingdom.