イギリス

イ

ギ

リ

ス

Common wordJLPTN5Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

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

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.

See all 397 example sentences ›

Kanji

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

Related words

英えい国こく
英国 is the formal, written term for the United Kingdom, while イギリス is the everyday spoken word used in ordinary conversation.
ＵＫ
イギリス is the traditional, everyday Japanese word for the United Kingdom, while ＵＫ is a modern, more casual or news-style abbreviation.
英えい
イギリス is the normal everyday word for the United Kingdom, while 英 is a compact written abbreviation used mainly in compounds like 訪英.

Politeness

英えい国こくpolite 丁寧語sense 1
英国 is the formal, often written term for the United Kingdom, while イギリス is the everyday spoken and written name.

Don't confuse with

イングランド sense 2
イングランド refers strictly to England, one part of the UK, whereas イギリス properly means the whole United Kingdom (though it is sometimes loosely used to mean England).
ＧＢ
イギリス is the everyday Japanese name for the United Kingdom, while ＧＢ (Great Britain) technically excludes Northern Ireland, so the two are not always interchangeable.

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.

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.