hometown; one's native place
Often used in literary or formal contexts; in everyday speech 故郷 (こきょう) or 地元 (じもと) are more common.
He left his hometown and works in the city.
township (in China); rural township
Administrative division in China; not used for Japanese townships.
In China's administrative divisions, a township is below the county level.
地元 is a casual, everyday word for one's local area, whereas 郷 carries a formal or literary tone for one's native place.
卿 and 郷 share the same reading きょう and similar-looking kanji, but 郷 means 'hometown' or 'village' while 卿 is a noble honorific title.
The kanji 郷 originally referred to a village or rural district in ancient China. In Japanese, it retains the meaning of 'hometown' or 'native place' in literary usage, and is also used for Chinese administrative divisions.
homesickness; nostalgia
foreign land; strange land; far-off place
place far from home; strange land; foreign country
leaving one's hometown; going out to teach (of a priest)
urheimat; original homeland
one's homeland; one's old home
poor isolated village · one's hometown (humble)
love for one's hometown
nostalgia; homesickness; longing for home
village customs; local customs
people from one's hometown
friend from the same hometown