A somewhat formal or technical term for a small rural community, often used in geography, sociology, or historical descriptions. In everyday speech, 村 (むら) is more common.
Electricity has not yet reached that village.
I visited a small hamlet in the mountains.
village community
Compound of 村 (そん, 'village') and 落 (らく, 'settlement' or 'hamlet'). The reading そんらく is the standard Sino-Japanese on'yomi.