1.
foreigner; person from another country; stranger from a foreign land
A literary or somewhat old-fashioned term for a person from a different country. Carries a more romantic or exotic nuance than the neutral 外国人, often evoking historical or literary contexts.
Composed of 異国 (foreign country) and 人 (person). This word has a literary, historical tone and is not commonly used in everyday conversation, where 外国人 is the standard term. 異国人 often appears in historical fiction, period dramas, and texts about Japan's contact with the outside world during the Edo period and earlier.
Common collocations
Similar words
- 外国人: foreigner — the standard, neutral modern term
- 外人: foreigner — colloquial and sometimes considered impolite
- 異邦人: stranger; foreigner — literary, with a more philosophical or existential nuance (as in Camus' "L'Étranger")
Register
Used primarily in written language, historical contexts, and literature. In modern speech, using 異国人 would sound deliberately old-fashioned or poetic.