ふるさと

ふ

る

さ

と

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

noun

hometown; birthplace; native place; old home

usually written using kana alone

Refers to the place one is from or feels emotionally rooted in. It often has a nostalgic or affectionate tone, not just a factual address.

Usage patterns

故ふる郷さとに帰かえるto return to one's hometown
お盆ぼんには故ふる郷さとに帰かえるつもりだ。
I plan to go back to my hometown during the Obon holiday.
故ふる郷さとを離はなれるto leave one's hometown
彼かれは十じゅう八はっ歳さいで故ふる郷さとを離はなれた。
He left his hometown at the age of eighteen.
故ふる郷さとを懐なつかしむto feel nostalgic for one's hometown
海かい外がいにいると故ふる郷さとを懐なつかしむ気き持もちが強つよくなる。
Living abroad makes you feel more nostalgic for your hometown.
故ふる郷さとを思おもうto think fondly of one's hometown
遠とおく離はなれていても、いつも故ふる郷さとを思おもっている。
Even though I'm far away, I always think of my hometown.

Kanji

故happenstance, especially, intentionally
郷home town, village, native place
古old
里ri, village, parent's home

Related words· 8

故こ郷きょうN3sense 1
故郷（こきょう）is a more formal, Sino-Japanese reading for hometown often used in writing or speeches, while ふるさと carries a warmer, more nostalgic everyday feel.
地じ元もとN2sense 1
地元 refers to one's local area or current base without the emotional pull of ふるさと, which specifically evokes the place one was born and grew up in.
出しゅっ身しん地ちN3sense 1
出身地 is a neutral, factual term for one's place of origin used on forms or in self-introductions, whereas ふるさと adds nostalgic, sentimental warmth.
田舎いなかN5
故郷 is a more emotional or poetic word for one's birthplace, while 田舎 can simply mean a rural hometown without the same sentimental weight.

Show 4 more

郷ごう
故郷 is the everyday word for one's hometown or native place, while 郷 is a more literary term that often appears in compounds.
郷きょう里りN1
故郷 carries a warm, nostalgic tone often used in songs and literature, while 郷里 is a more neutral, factual term for one's place of origin.
里さと
故郷 is the standard, neutral word for one's hometown, whereas 里 carries a more literary or nostalgic tone and can also refer to a village or the countryside in general.
国くにN4
故郷 explicitly and emotionally means one's hometown or native place, while 国 can mean home country or home region depending on context.

Opposites

異い郷きょう sense 1
異郷 means a foreign or unfamiliar land away from home, the opposite of ふるさと, the place where one feels rooted and belongs.

Don't confuse with

実じっ家かN3sense 1
実家 specifically means one's parents' house or family home, while ふるさと refers more broadly to the town or region one grew up in, not just the house.

Written forms

ふるさとUsage93%
The main modern sense is usually written in kana; this is a very common practical spelling.
古ふる里さとUsage4%
Common alternative kanji spelling, transparently suggesting an old home village or native place.
ふる里さとUsage2%
search-only kanji form
Mixed kana-kanji form marked search-only; included for lookup rather than as a recommended spelling.
故ふる里さとUsage1%
rarely-used kanji form
Rare kanji form; useful for recognition but not recommended for ordinary writing.
故ふる郷さとUsage<1%
Common kanji spelling for the sentimental or written form of ふるさと. The same spelling also has the Sino-Japanese reading こきょう in a related entry.

Etymology

A native Japanese word commonly understood as combining the idea of 古い, 'old,' with 里, 'village; home area.' The spellings 故郷 and 古里 conventionally connect the word with one's old home or native place.