私の知る限りでは、彼は外国に行ったことはありません。

Sentence Discussions Japanese
#1
English Translation

As far as I know, he has never been overseas.

Can gaikoku mean overseas?

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#2

Indirectly yes, but usually if you want to be precise it would be 海外（かいがい）instead, though they seem to be often used interchangeably in Japanese.

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#3

@chezvouscf

As @Aki-kun explained, 海外 (overseas) and 外国 (foreign countries) are interchangeable in most cases from a Japanese point of view because no other countries occupy a territory within the Japanese archipelago.

But what if Tom lives in France and Mary wants to ask him whether he has been to Germany or Poland, both of which are on the same continent but foreign countries? In this case, 外国 is the best way to ask Tom about his international travel experience.

Also notice that 海外 and 外国 are not interchangeable in some combined words such as:

  • 外国為替市場 (がいこくかわせしじょう) = foreign currency exchange market (e.g., USD/EUR, and JPY/USD)

  • 海外投融資 (かいがいとうゆうし) = The Japanese quasi-government’s investment and loan scheme for foreign developing countries

Another tricky thing is that “foreign investors” (including both individuals and financial institutions) are translated as 外国人投資家 or 海外投資家. But the two terms sometimes refer to different entities:

  • 外国人投資家 = usually refers to non-Japanese financial institutions or individuals investing into Japanese companies and assets (I.e., inbound)

  • 海外投資家 = depends on contexts but could refer to Japanese citizens or institutions investing into non-Japanese companies and assets (i.e., outbound)