Far East

American  

noun

1. Older Use. the countries of East Asia, including China, Japan, Korea, and sometimes adjacent areas.

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Far East British  

noun

1. the countries of E Asia, usually including China, Japan, North and South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, and the Philippines: sometimes extended to include all territories east of Afghanistan

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Far East Cultural  

1. Popular expression for the east Asian nations of China, Japan, North Korea and South Korea, Mongolia, and Taiwan.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Far Eastern
  adjective

Etymology

Origin of Far East

An Americanism dating back to 1840–50

Example Sentences

Kim’s first leader-to-leader engagements after the Covid-19 pandemic were with Putin, in Russia’s Far East and in Pyongyang.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 5, 2026

“Since the Iran conflict began, concerns about energy supplies have been especially acute in the Far East, which is heavily dependent on oil imports,” Hargreaves Lansdown analyst Derren Nathan said.

From Barron's • May 18, 2026

Cargoes of Eastern Siberia-Pacific Ocean blended crude oil—a light, sweet Russian grade exported from the Kozmino terminal in the Far East to Asia-Pacific markets—are normally traded one month before loading.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 18, 2026

In contrast, Aphaneramma fossils have been discovered in rocks of similar age in Svalbard in the Scandinavian Arctic, the Russian Far East, Pakistan, and Madagascar.

From Science Daily • Feb. 25, 2026

Indians and Australians were fighting for the British in the Pacific and the Far East; Canadians were fighting for them in the Mediterranean.

From "A Thousand Sisters" by Elizabeth Wein