里(さと)

さと
noun
village, hometown, countryside
1. village, hamlet
A small rural community.
山(やま)の里(さと)は静(しず)かだ。
The mountain village is quiet.
人里(ひとざと)離(はな)れた場所(ばしょ)に住(す)んでいる。
I live in a place far from any village.
里(さと)の秋(あき)は紅葉(こうよう)がきれいだ。
The autumn leaves are beautiful in the village.
2. hometown, birthplace
One's place of origin.
里(さと)に帰(かえ)る。
To return to one's hometown.
故郷(ふるさと)の里(さと)を思(おも)い出(だ)す。
I remember my hometown.
里帰(さとがえ)りをして久(ひさ)しぶりに家族(かぞく)に会(あ)った。
I went back to my hometown and saw my family for the first time in a while.

里(さと) evokes a rural, nostalgic image of home, often associated with countryside or village life.

NUANCE:
Carries a warm, emotional connotation suggesting simplicity and one's roots. Often used poetically or sentimentally.

COMMON COMPOUNDS:

  • 故郷(ふるさと): hometown (commonly written with these kanji)
  • 里帰(さとがえ)り: returning home (especially a married woman visiting parents)
  • 里親(さとおや): foster parent
  • 山里(やまざと): mountain village
  • 人里(ひとざと): human settlement

ALTERNATE READING:
里(り) was an old unit of distance (approximately 3.9 km).

RELATED: 田舎(いなか) (countryside, rural area) has a similar meaning but is more neutral.

general
Added 2026.1.9 21:46 · Revised 2026.2.22 10:00
02000/02214_sato