How to say "archipelago" in Japanese

• 諸島しょとうCommon
  nounA general term for a group of islands regarded as one unit; unlike 列島 it implies nothing about the islands' arrangement, and it appears in many geographical names.
  スペインは昔むかしフィリピン諸島しょとう統治とうちしていた。↗

  Spain once governed the Philippine Islands.
• 列島れっとうJLPT N2approx.Common
  nounCovers 'archipelago' in the sense of a chain of islands — islands strung out in a row or arc rather than forming a loose cluster. Natural when describing or naming such chains.
• 群島ぐんとうCommon
  nounAlso means a group of islands and overlaps heavily with 諸島; the choice between them often depends on the established name of the group in question.

Use 諸島 for an archipelago thought of simply as a group of islands, 列島 when the islands form a chain or arc, and 群島 as a near-synonym of 諸島 where established names often decide the choice.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

• 諸島しょとうarchipelago
• 列島れっとうarchipelago
• 群島ぐんとうisland group
• 多島海たとうかいarchipelago
• アーキペラゴarchipelago