内陸

ないりく · nairiku · JLPT N1 · noun

inland

内陸 = 内 (inside) + 陸 (land): land that lies inside, away from the coast

内 means inside and 陸 means land, so 内陸 literally means inside-land. It names the interior of a country, far from any sea or ocean coastline.

内 — enclosure 冂 + enter 入
内 originally depicted something entering (入) into an enclosed space (冂), giving the core sense of 'inside' or 'within'. The pictographic image of going into a covered area extended naturally to meanings like inner, internal, and inland. It contrasts with 外 ('outside').

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