What is the Kanji for "City" and "Market"?

If you are wondering what is the Japanese Kanji for "City" and "Market", you've come to the right place!

The Japanese Kanji for "City" and "Market" is "市".

This kanji has 2 readings:

Its kunyomi reading is "Ichi".

Its onyomi reading is "Shi".

kunyomi readings are based on the pronunciation of native Japanese words, and onyomi readings are based on the Chinese pronunciation of the character.

If you visually breakdown this kanji, you can see is made up of 2 parts:

The radical "亠" means "Lid" . And The kanji "巾" means "Towel" and can be read as "Kin".

Now, let's make sure you understand this kanji the other way around too.

What does the kanji "市" mean in japanese?

"市" means "City" and "Market".

Japanese School Students learn this kanji in Second Grade, while foreigners may learn this kanji in preparation for the JLPT N3 exam.

Here are some words that use this kanji:

市: "City". The Japanese noun '市 (し)' means 'city'. This noun refers to a large, populated urban area that is typically an administrative, commercial, and cultural center. It is commonly used in place names, such as Tokyo-shi (東京市), which means 'City of Tokyo'. Examples: The city is very crowded - (街が非常に混雑している). I went to the city center - (市の中心部に行った).

都市: "City". The noun '都市 (とし)' refers to a large, densely populated urban area that functions as a center of economic, political, cultural, and social activity. Cities are typically characterized by advanced infrastructure, a diverse population, and a wide range of services and amenities. For example: I live in the city - (私は都市に住んでいます). The city has many skyscrapers - (都市には多くの高層ビルがある).

市場: "Market". The Japanese noun '市場 (しじょう)' refers to a physical marketplace or bazaar where goods are bought and sold. This can refer to a local farmers' market, a large shopping district, or any place where vendors gather to sell their products. It is a common place for commercial activity and economic exchange. For example: The outdoor market is a great place to buy fresh produce - (戸外の市場は新鮮な農産物を買う最高の場所です). The market is always bustling on weekends - (週末はいつも市場が賑わっています).

市民: "Citizen". The Japanese noun '市民 (しみん)' refers to a person who is a member of a particular city or town. It can be used to describe someone who lives in and is part of the local community. '市民' suggests a sense of belonging and active participation in civic life. For example: The citizens gathered to discuss the new city plans - (市民たちは新しい街の計画について話し合いました).

市内: "City center". The Japanese noun '市内 (しない)' means 'city center' or 'downtown area'. It refers to the central part of a city, where most businesses, shops, and government buildings are located. This word is commonly used to give directions or describe the location of a place within a city. For example: Let's meet in the city center - (市内で会いましょう). My office is in the city center - (私の会社は市内にあります).

市役所: "City hall". The Japanese noun '市役所 (しやくしょ)' refers to a city government office or city hall. This is the main administrative building where local government offices and services are located in a city. It is where citizens can go to interact with the local government, pay taxes, apply for permits, and access other municipal services. For example: I went to city hall to apply for a business license - (私は事業許可を申請するために市役所に行きました).

市販: "Commercial". The Japanese noun '市販 (しはん)' means 'commercial'. It refers to products or goods that are available for purchase by the general public, as opposed to those that are only available through specialized channels or for limited distribution. For example: This product is commercially available - (この製品は市販されている). The company launched a new commercially available product - (その会社は新しい市販製品を発売しました).

市街: "City". The Japanese noun '市街 (しがい)' means 'city'. This word refers to the built-up, urbanized area of a city or town, as opposed to the rural or suburban outskirts. It is often used to describe the central, commercial districts of a city with dense development. For example: The city center is very crowded - (市街は非常に混雑している). I went shopping in the city - (私は市街で買い物をした).

To make really sure you learn this Kanji, I've prepared an interactive lesson for you. You are going to learn the readings and meanings of this kanji.

But first, you need to know a little bit about Hiragana and Katakana.

Hiragana and katakana are japanese syllabaries, this means that each character represents a syllable.

This are the characters you need to know for this lesson:

The hiragana "し" is read as "shi". The hiragana "い" is read as "i". And The hiragana "ち" is read as "chi".

Heres a quick tutorial on how to use it. You'll be asked three type of questions: meaning, reading, and writing.

For meanings questions all you have to do is type the english meaning. If there is more than one meaning, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Reading questions you have to type the reading in romaji (roman letters, our normal alphabet) and it'll be automatically converted to hiragana if necessary. If there is more than one reading, you have to include them all in your answer separating them by commas (,).

For Writing questions some options will appear and all you have to do is select the correct ones.