noun
Tsu (city in Mie)
Proper noun: the capital city of Mie Prefecture, Japan.
津市は三重県の県庁所在地です。
Tsu City is the capital of Mie Prefecture.
suffix
Suffix used in place names to indicate a port, harbor, or ferry crossing. Common in historical and modern place names such as 大津 (Ōtsu) and 唐津 (Karatsu).
大津は琵琶湖の南端にある港町です。
Ōtsu is a port town at the southern end of Lake Biwa.
唐津という地名は「唐への津」に由来する
The place name Karatsu derives from 'port to China'.
港 is the common standalone word for 'port' or 'harbor', while 津 is a suffix used mainly in place names.
The kanji 津 originally depicts a ford or crossing point and has been used since ancient times to denote a harbor or ferry landing. The reading つ is native Japanese.