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居場所 (いばしょ) Japanese meaning | Kotomora
Common word JLPT N2 Freq. Frequency Top 10,000 Meanings 1
noun
whereabouts ; location ; place
Refers to the physical location or whereabouts of a person or thing. Often used when asking or stating where someone is.
の
居い
場ば
所しょ
を
突つ
き
止と
め
た
。
The police tracked down the suspect's location.
2
noun
place where one belongs ; one's niche ; place to be oneself
Emotional or social sense: a place where one feels accepted, comfortable, or able to be oneself. Common in discussions of community, family, or personal fulfillment.
Similar words 所しょ 在ざい 所在 is more formal and often used for the location of objects, organizations, or in official contexts, while 居場所 is more personal and can carry emotional nuance.
行方ゆくえ 行方 specifically refers to the direction or destination of a missing person or thing, often implying uncertainty or disappearance, whereas 居場所 simply states location or belonging.
Etymology Compound of 居 (i, 'being, staying') and 場所 (basho, 'place'). The reading いばしょ is a straightforward combination of the on'yomi of 居 and the kun'yomi of 場所.
