field; cultivated land; vegetable plot
Refers to dry fields for crops like wheat, vegetables, or fruit, as opposed to flooded rice paddies (田). Also used for kitchen gardens and small plots.
My grandfather grows tomatoes in his field.
There is a small vegetable plot behind the house.
field (of specialization); area; line of work
Only with reading はたけ
Metaphorical extension of the farming sense. Often used as a suffix 〜畑 (read ばたけ) to indicate a professional domain, e.g., 法律畑 (the legal field).
He has worked in the field of education for many years.
I'm a tech person, so I don't know much about legal matters.
Only with reading はたけ
Colloquial, somewhat old-fashioned metaphor for the womb or one's birthplace. Often used in phrases like 畑が違う (to be of different origin/background).
We come from different backgrounds, so our ways of thinking differ.
He comes from a political background.
My grandfather tills the field every morning.
He has spent his entire career in sales.
We come from different backgrounds, so we don't see eye to eye.
We're growing tomatoes in this field.
畑 refers broadly to any cultivated dry field, whereas 家庭菜園 is specifically a home garden for growing vegetables for one's own household.
田 is a flooded field for growing rice, while 畑 is a dry field used for vegetables or other crops.
畑 is a cultivated field or vegetable plot worked by people, while 野 is uncultivated open land or plain.
terraced fields; terraced farm
field of flowers; flower garden; flower bed · field of alpine flowers · fantasy; delusion; head in the clouds
paulownia field; field of paulownia trees
mulberry field; mulberry plantation
hot spring mineral harvesting area
peasant's sword
seedling field; nursery bed
chrysanthemum field
sales field; business field
wheat field
orchard
Rarely used variant kanji form. Learners should recognize it but use 畑.
Kana spelling is common in informal writing, especially for the metaphorical sense.