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How to say 'Village' in Japanese | 里

Wondering how to say 'Village' in Japanese? You're in the right place!

The Japanese word for Village is 'Sato', written as 里 in Japanese.'Village' in hiragana is さと.

    word

    Meaning

    Village

    Reading

    さと

    sato

    Kanji

    Hometown

    Explanation

    The Japanese noun '里 (さと)' refers to a 'village' or a rural area, often contrasting with urban areas. It carries a sense of nostalgia and simplicity, evoking images of traditional Japanese countryside life. This word is commonly used in literature and poetry to depict idyllic rural settings. For example: I returned to my hometown village「私は里に帰りました」(わたしはさとかえりました). The village is surrounded by mountains「里は山に囲まれている」(さとはやまにかこまれている). Additionally, '里' can sometimes refer to a foster home or a place where someone is raised, as in '里親 (さとおや)' (foster parent).

    Part Of Speech

    noun

    Kanji JLPT

    Unknown

    Kanji Grade

    2

    Frequency

    2731

    Composition

    kanji

    Handwriting

Kanji in the Word

This word contains 1 kanji character:

  • kanji

    Meaning

    Hometown

Words Related to Through the Kanji

This Word contains the Kanji 里 as well.

  • word

    古里

    Meaning

    Hometown

Learn the Word

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What does 'Sato' (里) mean?

'Sato' means 'Village' .

To help you master this word, here's an interactive lesson where you'll practice its readings and meanings.