How to say "tribe" in Japanese

• 族ぞくCommon
  noun (suffix)A broad word covering the senses tribe, race, people, and family. For a tribe in the specific ethnic sense it is seldom the word you want on its own; 部族 is the precise choice.
  ６世紀せいきにアングロ・サクソン族ぞくはローマ文字もじを採用さいようした。↗

  In the 6th century, the Anglo-Saxons adopted Roman characters.
• 部族ぶぞくCommon
  nounThe word that means exactly 'tribe': a distinct social or ethnic group with its own customs and organization. When English 'tribe' is what you mean, this is the word to reach for.
  その部族ぶぞくは祖先そせんを崇拝すうはいしている。↗

  That tribe worships its ancestors.
• 種族しゅぞくCommon
  nounChiefly means 'race' or 'ethnic group'; its 'tribe' sense is secondary. Reach for it when you mean a people as a race or ethnic group rather than a tribe as a social unit.
  その島しまには未開みかい種族しゅぞくがいる。↗

  There are still some savage tribes on that island.

For 'tribe' in the ethnic or social sense choose 部族; 種族 chiefly means race or ethnic group, with 'tribe' only a secondary sense; 族 broadly covers people, race, and family and is seldom the precise choice for a tribe.

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

• 族ぞくtribe
• 部族ぶぞくtribe
• 種族しゅぞくrace
• 枝族しぞくtribe
• 連れんtribe (in taxonomy)