郷きょう里り

きょ

う

り

Common wordJLPTN1Freq.FrequencyTop 50,000

Meanings

Refers to one's native place or the place where one grew up. Slightly formal and often used in written or narrative contexts; in casual speech, 故郷 (ふるさと) or 地元 (じもと) are more common.

彼かれは郷きょう里りの両りょう親しんに手て紙がみを書かいた。
He wrote a letter to his parents back in his hometown.
夏なつ休やすみに郷きょう里りへ帰き省せいする予よ定ていだ。
I plan to go back to my hometown for summer vacation.

See all 8 example sentences ›

Usage patterns

〈人ひと〉の郷きょう里りsomeone's hometown
彼かれの郷きょう里りは九きゅう州しゅうの小ちいさな町まちだ。
His hometown is a small town in Kyushu.
郷きょう里りに帰かえるto return to one's hometown
正しょう月がつには郷きょう里りに帰かえるつもりだ。
I plan to return to my hometown for the New Year.
郷きょう里りを離はなれるto leave one's hometown
彼かれは十じゅう八はっ歳さいで郷きょう里りを離はなれて上じょう京きょうした。
He left his hometown at eighteen and moved to Tokyo.

Kanji

郷home town, village, native place
里ri, village, parent's home

Related words

ふるさとN3
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.
地じ元もとN2
地元 refers to one's current local area or community and is common in everyday speech, whereas 郷里 specifically means the place one originally came from, especially when now living elsewhere.
出しゅっ身しん地ちN3
出身地 is a neutral, often bureaucratic term for one's place of birth or origin, while 郷里 has a slightly more sentimental, literary tone.
田舎いなかN5
郷里 is a formal, written word for one's home region, whereas 田舎 is the everyday, casual term and can also just mean 'rural area' in general.
故こ郷きょうN3
故郷 and 郷里 both mean 'hometown' in formal or literary contexts, but 郷里 sounds even more old-fashioned and is often used in biographical or address contexts.

Etymology

Compound of 郷 (village, hometown) and 里 (village, one's parents' home). Both kanji carry the sense of a native place or rural community.