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Kotomora

町

town, village, block, street

JLPTN4StatusJōyō · grade 1FrequencyTop 500Strokes7

Readings

On'yomi

  • チョウ

Kun'yomi

  • まち

Meaning

町 centers on a defined area of human settlement: a town or village, and by extension the streets and blocks that make it up.

Most common words using 町

20 of 124
  • 町まち
    N5

    town; block; neighbourhood; neighborhood

  • 市町村しちょうそん

    cities, towns and villages; municipalities

  • 町内ちょうない

    neighborhood; neighbourhood; street; block; town

  • 小町こまち

    belle; (town) beauty

  • 下町したまち
    N2

    low-lying part of a city (usu. containing shops, factories, etc.)

  • 町村ちょうそん

    towns and villages

  • 町長ちょうちょう

    town mayor

  • 室町むろまち

    Muromachi period (1336-1573)

  • 町中まちなか
    N1

    downtown

  • 町民ちょうみん

    townsman; townswoman; resident of a town; townspeople; townsfolk

  • 町並みまちなみ
    N1

    townscape; street (of stores and houses); (look of) stores and houses on street

  • 城下町じょうかまち

    castle town; city in Japan that developed around the castle of a feudal lord

  • 永田町ながたちょう

    Nagata-chō (Japan's political center; equiv. of Downing Street)

  • 田舎町いなかまち

    country town; rural town

  • 市町しちょう

    cities and towns

  • 港町みなとまち

    port city; harbor city; harbour city

  • 谷町たにまち

    sponsors of rikishi or their stables

  • 町人ちょうにん

    chōnin (Edo-period social class of town-dwelling commoners, esp. landowning merchants); townspeople; townsfolk; tradespeople

  • 町家まちや

    machiya; traditional wooden townhouse

  • 町会ちょうかい

    town council

Explore all words using 町 →

Study

Etymology

町 combines 田 (rice field) and 丁, which likely contributes the sound. The character originally referred to a path between fields, later extending to a town or village area.

Meaning mnemonic

The left side is a rice field 田, and the right side looks like a street sign 丁. Picture a street running beside a field, forming a small town.

Reading mnemonic

For チョウ, imagine a town chief named Chou walking down the main street: Chou -> チョウ, and he knows every block in the village.