Explore 市 in words for a market and a city. Learn each reading with its whole word.

The idea

市 has five strokes. 市場 is usually いちば for a physical marketplace and しじょう for an economic market; 市 is し in city names and 市役所（しやくしょ）. 市 on its own can also be いち, a market.

Examples

  • 市場いちばで魚さかなを買かいました。I bought fish at the market.
  • この市しには大おおきな公園こうえんがあります。This city has a large park.
  • 昨日きのう市役所しやくしょへ行いきました。I went to the city office yesterday.
  • 日曜日にちようびに駅えきの前まえで市いちが開ひらかれます。A market is held in front of the station on Sundays.
  • 日本にほんの市場しじょうが成長せいちょうしています。The Japanese market is growing.
  • この町まちでは毎月まいつき市いちがあります。There is a market in this town every month.

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 市場 always has one reading: context distinguishes a place to shop from an economic market. 市（し） means a city, not necessarily a marketplace.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 市場 in hiragana: a place to buy fish.

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    いちば

    市場 is いちば here: it is a physical marketplace where people shop.

  2. Write the reading of 市役所 in hiragana.

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    しやくしょ

    市役所 is しやくしょ, the city office. Learn the compound as a whole.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: 日本の＿場（しじょう）が成長しています。［市／姉］

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    市

    市 completes 市場（しじょう）, the economic market in this sentence.

Use it today

Write 市 in stroke order using the linked diagram. Cover the examples, read 市場 in both senses and make a sentence with 市役所.