How to say "nation" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 国民こくみんnounCovers 'nation' in the sense of the people of a country viewed collectively — the citizenry. It suits contexts like a government addressing its nation or a nation reacting to news.
- 国家こっかnounCovers 'nation' as a political entity — the state or country itself, rather than its inhabitants. This is the word for nations in political, diplomatic or international contexts.
- 民族みんぞくnounMatches 'nation' only in the sense of an ethnic people, a group sharing language or culture. For the political sense of 'nation' it is seldom the word you want; it really means an ethnic group.
The three split the senses of 'nation': choose 国家 when it means the state or country, 国民 when it means the people or citizenry, and 民族 when it means an ethnic people.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
See also
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