1.
empire
A state ruled by an emperor, or a large and powerful political entity. Used both for historical empires and figuratively for powerful organizations or business conglomerates.
ローマ帝国は広大だった。
The Roman Empire was vast.
大日本帝国は1947年に日本国となった。
The Empire of Japan became the State of Japan in 1947.
彼は一代で巨大なビジネス帝国を築き上げた実業家として知られている。
He is known as a businessman who built a massive business empire in a single generation.
STRUCTURE:
帝 (emperor) + 国 (country, nation).
USAGE:
帝国 is used in historical contexts for actual empires (ローマ帝国, 大英帝国, オスマン帝国) and figuratively for powerful organizations or business conglomerates (ビジネス帝国, メディア帝国). The related term 帝国主義 means imperialism.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 帝国主義: imperialism
- 帝国を築く: to build an empire
- 帝国の崩壊: collapse of an empire
- 帝国議会: imperial diet/parliament