公園
kōen[ko̞ːẽ̞ɴ]
In Japanese, the word for park is 公園 (kōen).
公園 is used to refer to general-purpose public parks, such as those found in residential areas or city centers.
Meaning: ground for recreation (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of 公, meaning public and 園, meaning garden or park.
Which one should you use?
While 公園 refers to the physical recreation area, the verb used for the act of parking a vehicle is 駐車する.
Related words
How do you pronounce it?
kōen
Did you know?
- In Japan, many 公園 are equipped with specialized 'disaster toilets' and emergency stockpiles, as they serve as primary evacuation points during earthquakes.
- In Japan, you will often find a 公園 containing a small shrine or a Buddhist temple, blending secular recreation with spiritual practice.
- There is a distinct difference between a 公園 and a 庭園, where the latter refers to traditional Japanese gardens designed for viewing rather than active recreation.
Examples in context
- 私は公園に行く。I go to the park.This sentence is useful for expressing the act of going to the park with 公園.Tatoeba #157179 by KK_kaku_, translation #257353 by CK
- 公園で散歩なう。I'm taking a walk in a park.This sentence is useful for describing a current activity in a park with 公園.Tatoeba #2313071 by tommy_san, translation #6008 by Zifre
- 公園で会えない？Can we meet at the park?This sentence is useful for suggesting a meeting at the park with 公園.Tatoeba #11726736 by small_snow, translation #8511540 by CK
- 失礼ですが、公園はどこですか？Excuse me, where can I find the park?
- 272 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Misaki and Hiroto are deciding where to meet for a walk.
- 美咲 Misaki大翔、どこで会いましょうか？Hiroto, doko de aimashou ka?Hiroto, where shall we meet?
- 大翔 Hiroto駅の近くの公園はどうですか？Eki no chikaku no kouen wa dou desu ka?How about the park near the station?
- 美咲 Misakiいいですね。あそこで待ち合わせましょう。Ii desu ne. Asoko de machiawasemashou.That sounds good. Let's meet there.
- 大翔 Hirotoわかりました。楽しみです。Wakarimashita. Tanoshimi desu.Understood. I'm looking forward to it.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “park” translations and entries 公園, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
