習 俗(しゅうぞく)

しゅうぞく

noun

customs; folkways; traditional practices

formalwritten

1. customs, folkways, traditional practices

Established customs and practices that have been passed down in a community or society over generations. More formal and academic than 習慣 (habit/custom), with an emphasis on collective cultural traditions rather than individual behavior.

各地(かくち)の習俗(しゅうぞく)を調(しら)べる。

To research the customs of various regions.

お正月(しょうがつ)の習俗(しゅうぞく)は地方(ちほう)によって異(こと)なる。

New Year's customs differ by region.

近代化(きんだいか)の波(なみ)の中(なか)で、古(ふる)くからの習俗(しゅうぞく)が急速(きゅうそく)に失(うしな)われつつある。

Amid the wave of modernization, customs handed down from long ago are rapidly being lost.

Usage

A formal, somewhat academic term used in ethnography, cultural studies, and historical writing. More elevated than 習慣(しゅうかん) (habit/custom), which can refer to individual habits. 習俗(しゅうぞく) specifically refers to collective cultural practices rooted in tradition.

Similar words

習慣(しゅうかん): habit, custom (broader, includes personal habits)
風習(ふうしゅう): custom, practice (similar register, slightly less formal)
慣習(かんしゅう): convention, customary practice (often legal or institutional)

Common collocations

習俗(しゅうぞく)を守(まも)る: to preserve customs
古(ふる)い習俗(しゅうぞく): old customs
地方(ちほう)の習俗(しゅうぞく): regional customs

Related Words

Synonym: 風習(ふうしゅう) (custom, practice)

Synonym: 習慣(しゅうかん) (habit, custom (broader))

Compare: 慣習(かんしゅう) (convention, customary practice)

general

Added 2026.2.28 8:08 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:01

14000/14069_shuuzoku