町
machi[ma̠t͡ɕi]
The Japanese word for town is 町 (machi), also written as 街 or 都市.
Meaning: settlement (noun)
Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 町 | machi | [ma̠t͡ɕi] (narrow) |
| 街 | machi | [ɡa̠i] (narrow) |
| 都市 | toshi | [to̞ɕi] (narrow) |
The term describes a settlement, but the specific kanji used depends on whether you are talking about a residential area, a commercial district or a large metropolis.
Which one should you use?
町 is the common way to refer to a town, a specific administrative district or a residential neighborhood. 街 is used when referring to the town in the sense of bustling commercial areas, city streets or a downtown district. 都市 is used for larger, more formal contexts to describe a major city or an urban center rather than a small town.
How do you pronounce it?
machi
Did you know?
- While 町 refers to a town, it is also used as a unit of measurement for length in historical contexts.
- Japanese has separate words for a 'castle town' 城下町 and a 'post town' 宿場町, reflecting the strict social hierarchy of the Edo period.
- In some linguistic theories, there is a potential link between the Japanese 町 and the Middle Korean word 맡 (math), which means 'field'. This suggests a history of words describing land use.
Examples in context
- 街に行きたい。I want to go into town.This sentence uses 街 to express the desire to go into the lively part of town.Tatoeba #3459177 by arnab, translation #2011778 by CK
- 町に来ましたか？Did you come to town?Tatoeba #882523 by arihato, translation #890486 by Scott
- 町までは遠いよ。It's a long way to town.Tatoeba #10466997 by small_snow, translation #10466992 by sundown
- 262 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Daiki and Himari are talking about where they live.
- 大翔 Hiroto静かな町に住んでいますか？Shizukana machi ni sunde imasu ka?Do you live in a quiet town?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、とても静かな町です。Hai, totemo shizukana machi desu.Yes, it is a very quiet town.
- 大翔 Hirotoいいですね。店はたくさんありますか？Ii desu ne. Mise wa takusan arimasu ka?That's nice. Are there many shops?
- 陽葵 Himariいいえ、小さな町なので少ないです。Iie, chiisana machi nanode sukunai desu.No, since it is a small town, there are few.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “town” translations and entries 町, 街, 都市, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries 町, 街, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
