半島
解説 Definition
三方が海に囲まれており、陸地と1つの側面だけで繋がっている土地のことです。地理的に特異な形状を持つ地域を指します。
A peninsula is a piece of land that is almost surrounded by water but is still connected to the mainland. It is a common word in geography when talking about the shape of a country or region. It is different from an island because it is not completely separated by water.
覚え方のコツ Memory Tip
地図でよく出る語として覚えるのが近道です。Korean Peninsula, Arabian Peninsula, Iberian Peninsula のように地域名とセットで頻出なので、単語単体より固有名詞ごと覚えると定着しやすいです。意味は island ではなく「陸続きのまま海へ大きく突き出た土地」。四方を海に囲まれれば island、先端だけの小さな出っ張りなら cape に近いので区別すると混同しにくくなります。
Remember this word with map names: Korean Peninsula, Arabian Peninsula, Iberian Peninsula. It is easier to learn as part of real place names. Keep the contrast clear: an island is fully surrounded by water, but a peninsula still stays connected to the land.
例文
Italy is a famous peninsula in southern Europe.
イタリアは南ヨーロッパの有名な半島です。
The Korean Peninsula is divided between North and South Korea.
朝鮮半島は北朝鮮と韓国に分かれています。
Many peninsulas have strategic importance for maritime trade.
多くの半島は海上貿易において戦略的な重要性を持っています。
peninsula の類義語・関連語
peninsula の語源・成り立ち Etymology
ラテン語 paene「ほとんど」+ insula「島」からできた paeninsula が語源で、「ほとんど島」が原義です。insular や insulate も同じ insula 系で、陸と少しだけつながる地形だと考えると半島の意味に納得できます。
Peninsula comes from Latin paeninsula, made from paene "almost" and insula "island." Its original sense was "almost an island," for land that is nearly surrounded by water but still joined to the mainland. Related English words from insula include insular and isolate.
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