望郷

• 読み: ぼうきょう
• ローマ字: bōkyō
• 漢字の分解: 望 (bo) — gaze toward, hope; 郷 (kyo) — hometown, native village
• 発音: /boː.kjoː/

意味

Homesickness; a deep longing for one's hometown or native land.

A literary noun conveying intense emotional yearning for one's place of origin — the sights, relationships, and sense of belonging associated with home. More elevated in register than 郷愁, 望郷 appears in poetry, literature, and reflective prose about exile, migration, or prolonged absence. 望郷の念 (the yearning for home) is a common set phrase.

例文

1. 海外赴任が三年を超えると、望郷の念がひとしお強くなった。
2. 彼女の歌声には、故郷を離れた者だけが知る望郷の哀愁が滲んでいた。
3. 戦地の兵士たちは望郷を胸に秘め、再会を誓い合った。

使い方ガイド

場面: literature, travel, migration, nostalgia

トーン: wistful

起源と歴史

Compound of 望 (to gaze toward, to hope) and 郷 (hometown, native village). The combination evokes the image of gazing back toward one's roots — a longing as much visual as emotional.

文化的背景

時代: Classical

世代: Adults

社会的背景: Educated