民族

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: 民族 is read as みんぞく and is a noun for an ethnic group or people sharing a cultural and historical identity.
• Basic usage: Various groups appear in さまざまな民族, while distinct groups appear in 異なる民族.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Group identity rather than nationality
  • The focus is a community sharing cultural and historical identity, not simply people holding the same nationality.
• Difference from 国民
  • Unlike the legal and political category of a country’s citizens, this word identifies a cultural and historical group.