Japanese kanji 住: residence and address

The idea

住 has 7 strokes; follow their order in the linked KanjiVG diagram. Learn 住む（すむ） and 住所（じゅうしょ） as complete words: a character’s reading depends on the word.

Examples

• 海うみの近ちかくに住すむのが夢ゆめです。My dream is to live near the sea.
• 兄あには大阪おおさかに住すんでいます。My older brother lives in Osaka.
• ここに住所じゅうしょを書かいてください。Please write your address here.
• 駅えきの近ちかくに新あたらしい住宅じゅうたくができました。New housing has been built near the station.
• 町まちの住民じゅうみんが公園こうえんに集あつまりました。The town’s residents gathered in the park.
• 昔むかし、この家いえに祖母そぼが住すんでいました。My grandmother used to live in this house.

Watch out

Use に for where someone lives: 大阪に住んでいます. The ongoing form describes a current residence, not an action happening only now. Compare the shapes of 住 and 注; they are different characters.

Try it yourself

1. Write the reading of 住む in hiragana.

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   すむ

   住む is read すむ. In context: My dream is to live near the sea.

2. Write the reading of 住所 in hiragana.

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   じゅうしょ

   住所 is read じゅうしょ. In context: Please write your address here.

3. Write the missing kanji: ＿む（すむ）.

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   住

   住 completes 住む, read すむ. In context: My dream is to live near the sea.

4. Choose the particle for the place of residence: 大阪おおさか＿住すんでいます。［に／で］

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   に

   に. With 住む, に marks the place where someone lives; で generally marks where an action takes place.

Use it today

Cover the table, write 住 from memory, read 住む and 住所 aloud, then make a sentence with one of them.