“hometown” in Japanese is 郷, read kyou, gou, sato (きょう, ごう, さと). It is a Grade 6 Kyōiku kanji, taught in year 6 of Japanese elementary school, and appears in words such as 故郷 (hometown).
What does 郷 mean?
故郷が恋しい。
| Kanji | 郷 |
|---|---|
| Meaning | hometown |
| Readings | きょう, ごう, さと |
| Grade | Grade 6 (Hardest) |
| Curriculum | Kyōiku kanji · Japanese elementary school |
| Example | 故郷 (hometown) |
郷 is read kyou (きょう) or gou (ごう) or sato (さと) depending on the word.
Same sound, different character — the classic trap. Compare them side by side: