Japanese word

近郊

Pronunciation

Romajikinkō

Meaning

  • nounsuburbs

Example

東京の近郊に住んでいます。tō kyō no kin kō ni su n de i ma su

I live in the suburbs of Tokyo.

Illustration for 近郊 (suburbs)

More examples

週末は東京近郊の温泉へ行きます。shū matsu wa tō kyō kin kō no on sen e i ki ma su

I go to a hot spring near Tokyo on weekends.

Core concept

Refers to the surrounding area of a city, especially where people live within the city's wider sphere of activity.

Common phrases

  • 近郊に住むkin kō ni su mu

    live in the suburbs

  • 近郊へ出かけるkin kō e de ka ke ru

    go out to the suburbs

Similar words

郊外kōgai: A residential area outside the central part of a city.
周辺shūhen: The area around a particular place, viewed broadly.
近辺kinpen: The area located close to a particular place.

Definition in Japanese

都市に近接し、その生活圏に含まれる周辺地域。to shi ni kin setsu shi so no sei katsu ken ni fuku ma re ru shū hen chi iki

Word origin

The Sino-Japanese compound 近郊 (kinkō) joins 近 (kin, "near") with 郊 (kō, "outskirts").

Usage tips

  • 近郊 (kinkō) often appears after a city name to describe its wider surroundings, as in 東京近郊 (Tōkyō kinkō).

Other meanings

  • outskirtsnoun
  • environsnoun

Opposites

Word lists with this word