noun
the public; the street; public rumor
Most common in modern Japanese in expressions such as 巷で噂になる or 巷の声, referring to what people in society are saying or thinking.
その新しい店は巷で話題になっている。
That new shop has become the talk of the town.
巷の噂をそのまま信じるのは危ない。
It is risky to believe street rumors just as they are.
noun
A somewhat literary or old-fashioned noun for the streets or quarters of a town, rather than a single road in the everyday sense.
祭りの夜、江戸の巷は人であふれた。
On the night of the festival, the streets of Edo overflowed with people.
noun
scene; site; place of conflict or carnage
Literary use for a place characterized by an event, especially war, disaster, or bloodshed; often appears in phrases like 戦火の巷.
その町は一夜にして戦火の巷と化した。
The town turned overnight into a scene of war.
noun
Rare, literary use for a dividing line or brink, especially in fixed expressions such as 生死の巷, the boundary between life and death.
重傷を負った彼は、生死の巷をさまよった。
Badly injured, he hovered between life and death.
noun
fork in a road; crossroads
This as the original meaning. In modern use it is rare as an independent sense and is mainly relevant for older, literary, or explanatory contexts.
古い用法では、巷は道が分かれる所を指す。
In old usage, 巷 refers to a place where roads branch.
Rare old spelling for ちまた; useful mainly for reading older or literary texts.
Refers broadly to society or public opinion; 巷 is more image-based, often suggesting the streets or what people are saying informally.
The ordinary word for a town or town area; 巷 as 'streets' or 'quarters' sounds more literary or old-fashioned.
The common word for a boundary or border; 巷 in this sense is rare and mostly limited to literary expressions such as 生死の巷.
The original meaning as a fork or crossroads. The word later extended to the streets, town quarters, and by association the public or rumors circulating among people; the detailed historical derivation is not specified.