Explore 城 in words for castles and their surroundings. Learn each reading with a complete word.

The idea

城 has 9 strokes; follow the linked stroke-order diagram. On its own 城 is しろ; in 城下町（じょうかまち） and 城門（じょうもん） it is じょう.

Patterns to compare
Japanese wordReadingExample in context
城しろWe visited the castle yesterday.
城下町じょうかまちWe walked through the old castle town.
城門じょうもんThe castle gate is very large.

Examples

  • 昨日きのう、城しろを見学けんがくしました。We visited the castle yesterday.
  • 城しろは丘おかの上うえにあります。The castle stands on a hill.
  • 古ふるい城下町じょうかまちを歩あるきました。We walked through the old castle town.
  • 城しろの中なかに博物館はくぶつかんがあります。There is a museum inside the castle.
  • 城門じょうもんはとても大おおきいです。The castle gate is very large.
  • 城下町じょうかまちの歴史れきしを学まなびました。We learned about the history of the castle town.

Read-aloud uses a synthetic Japanese voice available on your device. Voice quality and availability vary; it does not assess your pronunciation.

Watch out

Do not assume 城 always reads しろ: compounds often use じょう. 城下町 is the town around a castle, not the castle itself. Compare 城 with 成: 城 has 土 on the left.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 城 in hiragana.

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    しろ

    城 is しろ when used as the word for a castle.

  2. Write the reading of 城下町 in hiragana.

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    じょうかまち

    城下町 is じょうかまち: a town that developed around a castle.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿門（じょうもん）［城／成］.

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    城

    城 completes 城門（じょうもん）, a castle gate. Its 土 component distinguishes it from 成.

Use it today

Write 城 using the diagram, then cover the table and read the three words. Make a sentence about a castle or a castle town.