oriental
/ɔːɹiˈɛntəl/adjective, noun
oriental is spelled O-R-I-E-N-T-A-L: 8 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, oriental means “Alternative letter-case form of Oriental” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in oriental?
| Letters | 8: O-R-I-E-N-T-A-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 5.4 times per million words; the 10,680th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is oriental?
Oriental appears 5.4 times per million words in written English, the 10,680th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce oriental?
- UK /ɔːɹiˈɛntəl/
- UK /ɒɹiˈɛntəl/
Oriental has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-Oriental.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with oriental?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as oriental (/ɛntəl/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: relation.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of oriental
- more oriental comparative
- most oriental superlative
- orientals plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does oriental mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of Oriental.
adjective
- 1
Of a pearl or other precious stone: having a superior lustre.
- 2
Pertaining to the eastern part of the sky; happening before sunrise.
- 3
obsoleteHappening in the eastern part of a given place or location.
- 4
datedoffensivePertaining to the regions east of the Mediterranean, beyond the Roman Empire or the early Christian world; of the Near East, the Middle East or the Far East, now especially relating to East Asia.
- 5
Designating various types of aromatic tobacco grown in Turkey and the Balkans.
noun
- 1
A precious stone, especially an orient pearl.
- 2
datedoffensiveA member or descendant of the peoples and cultures of the Orient.
- 3
A lily cultivar of a widely varied group, with strong scent.
- 4
archaicA person from the eastern region of a place.
noun
- 1
Alternative letter-case form of Oriental.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Oriental in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | oriental , Oriental |
| German | orientalisch, oriental, östlich , Ostler, Ostlerin, Orientale |
| Portuguese | oriental |
| Spanish | oriental |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does oriental come from?
See Oriental.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).