区

• Reading: く
• Romaji: ku
• Kanji breakdown: 区 (ku) — district, ward, section
• Pronunciation: /kɯ/

Meaning

Ward; district; borough. An administrative division of a city.

A noun referring to the administrative wards that divide large Japanese cities. Tokyo has 23 special wards (特別区), and other designated cities like Osaka and Yokohama also have wards. Used as a suffix after the ward name (e.g., 渋谷区, 中央区). Essential vocabulary for understanding Japanese addresses.

Examples

1. 東京には二十三の区があります。 Tokyo has twenty-three wards.
2. 渋谷区に引っ越したいと思っています。 I'd like to move to Shibuya Ward.
3. この区の図書館はとても大きいです。 The library in this ward is very large.

Usage Guide

Context: geography, addresses, urban life

Tone: neutral

Origin & History

The kanji 区 originally depicted an enclosed area divided into sections. It has been used in Chinese administrative terminology for centuries and was adopted into Japanese for urban ward divisions.

Cultural Context

Era: Classical

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal