島国

1. Origins, structure, and basic meaning

• Structure: Written 島国 and read しまぐに, it denotes a country whose territory consists of one or more islands surrounded by sea.
• Basic usage: It is used for a nation dependent on ships and for a small southern island country serving as a story setting.

2. Common pitfalls and similar expressions

• Nation rather than island
  • It names a political country made up of islands, not an island as a landform by itself.