ありか

あ

り

か

Freq.FrequencyTop 100,000

Meanings

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the place where something or someone is located, often with a nuance of searching for or revealing that place. Can imply a hidden or secret location.

犯はん人にんのありかはまだわかっていない。
The whereabouts of the culprit are still unknown.
宝たからのありかを示しめす地ち図ずを見みつけた。
I found a map showing the location of the treasure.

See all 4 example sentences ›

Kanji

在exist, outskirts, suburbs
処dispose, manage, deal with
所place, extent

Related words

場ば所しょ
場所 is a general word for 'place' or 'location', while ありか often carries a nuance of searching for or revealing a hidden or specific location.
所しょ在ざい
所在 is a more formal term for 'whereabouts' or 'location', often used in official contexts, whereas ありか is more colloquial and can imply a hidden place.

Written forms

ありかUsage85%
Usually written in kana; the kanji forms 在り処, 在処, 在り所 are rare and may not be widely recognized.
在あり処かUsage8%
Rare kanji spelling; 在りか is a mixed kana-kanji variant sometimes seen.
在処ありかUsage7%
Rare kanji spelling.
在あり所か
Rare kanji spelling.
在ありか

Etymology

Derived from the verb ある (to exist) with the nominalizing suffix か (place), literally 'place where something exists'. The kanji 在 means 'exist' and 処/所 mean 'place', but the word is now usually written in kana.