Explore 区 in place names and words for divisions. Learn each reading with the whole word.

The idea

区 has 4 strokes; follow the linked diagram. It is read く in 区役所（くやくしょ） and 地区（ちく）. 区別（くべつ） means a distinction or separating things; 区域 and 区間 name an area and a section.

Patterns to compare
WordReading
区く
区役所くやくしょ
地区ちく
区別くべつ
区域くいき
区間くかん

Examples

  • 私わたしは新宿区しんじゅくくに住すんでいます。I live in Shinjuku Ward.
  • 区役所くやくしょは駅えきの近ちかくです。The ward office is near the station.
  • この地区ちくには公園こうえんがたくさんあります。This area has many parks.
  • 燃もえるごみと燃もえないごみを区別くべつしてください。Separate burnable and non-burnable rubbish.
  • ここは禁煙きんえん区域くいきです。This is a no-smoking area.
  • 地図ちずでその区間くかんを確認かくにんしてください。Please check the section on the map.

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

Watch out

区 can name an administrative ward, but 地区 is an area and 区別 is a distinction, not a ward. Compare 区 with 医: 医 has an extra inner component.

Try it yourself

  1. Write the reading of 区役所 in hiragana.

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    くやくしょ

    区役所 is くやくしょ, a ward office. The example places it near the station.

  2. Write the reading of 地区 in hiragana.

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    ちく

    地区 is ちく, an area or district. The example describes its parks.

  3. Choose the missing kanji: ＿別（くべつ）［区／医］.

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    区

    区 completes 区別（くべつ）, a distinction; 区別する means to distinguish or separate.

Use it today

Write 区 following the diagram. Cover the table, read 区役所 and 地区, then make a sentence with one.