観かん光こう

か

ん

こ

う

Common wordJLPTN3Freq.FrequencyTop 2,000

Meanings

1

noun, noun or participle which takes 'suru', transitive verb

sightseeing; tourism

General term for visiting places of interest as a tourist. Can be used as a noun or with する to mean 'go sightseeing' or 'tour'.

京きょう都とへ観かん光こうに行いく。
I go sightseeing in Kyoto.
観かん光こう客きゃくが増ふえている。
The number of tourists is increasing.

Kanji

観outlook, look, appearance
光ray, light

Similar words

旅りょ行こう
旅行 is a broader term for travel or a trip, while 観光 specifically focuses on visiting tourist attractions.
見けん物ぶつ
見物 also means sightseeing but is more casual and often used for specific events or famous spots, whereas 観光 is the standard term for tourism as an industry or activity.

Etymology

Compound of 観 (view, observe) and 光 (light, scenery), referring to viewing the sights. The exact historical derivation is uncertain, but the word has been used in modern Japanese for tourism since the Meiji period.