noun
A cultivated outdoor space with plants, trees, or flowers. Can refer to a private garden, a public park, or an orchard.
子供たちは園で遊んでいる。
The children are playing in the garden.
この園には桜の木がたくさんある。
There are many cherry trees in this park.
noun
Metaphorical use for a bounded space or realm, often in set phrases like 学びの園 (place of learning). Not freely productive.
See also: 学びの園
学校は子供たちにとって学びの園だ。
School is a place of learning for children.
Rarely used kanji form.
The kanji 園 is a phono-semantic compound: 囗 (enclosure) + 袁 (phonetic). The reading その is a native Japanese word for a garden or cultivated field. The exact historical derivation is uncertain.