離り郷きょう

り

きょ

う

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', intransitive verb

leaving one's hometown; departure from one's native place

Formal or literary term for leaving one's hometown or native region, often with a sense of permanent departure or relocation.

彼かれは若わかい頃ころに離り郷きょうし、都と会かいで成せい功こうを収おさめた。
He left his hometown in his youth and achieved success in the city.
離り郷

きょう

の

決けつ

意い

を

固かた

める

まで

に

長なが

い

時じ

間かん

が

かかっ

た

。

It took a long time to make up his mind to leave his hometown.

Kanji

離detach, separation, disjoin
郷home town, village, native place

Similar words

故こ郷きょう
故郷 means 'hometown' or 'native place', while 離郷 refers to the act of leaving it.
上じょう京きょう
上京 specifically means going to Tokyo, often from a rural area, whereas 離郷 is a more general departure from one's hometown.

Etymology

Compound of 離 (ri, 'separation') and 郷 (kyō, 'hometown' or 'village'). The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the kanji composition directly reflects the meaning.