1.
village; settlement; hamlet; community
A small cluster of houses and buildings where people live together, typically in a rural area. Often implies a traditional, close-knit community.
山奥に小さな集落がある。
There's a small settlement deep in the mountains.
この集落には約三十世帯が暮らしている。
About thirty households live in this village.
過疎化が進み、限界集落と呼ばれる地域が増えている。
Depopulation is advancing, and areas called "marginal settlements" are increasing.
Combines 集 (gather/collect) and 落 (settlement/fall), referring to a place where dwellings are gathered together. Used in geography, anthropology, and news reporting to describe communities, especially small rural ones.
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 限界集落: marginal settlement (where over half the residents are elderly)
- 過疎集落: depopulated settlement
- 農村集落: farming village/settlement
- 集落営農: community farming
- 縄文集落: Jōmon-period settlement
CULTURAL NOTE:
限界集落 (marginal settlement) is a widely discussed social issue in Japan. These are villages where more than half the population is over 65, making it difficult to maintain community functions. The aging of rural Japan has made this a frequent topic in news and policy discussions.
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 村: village — the everyday word; also an administrative unit (村)
- 部落: hamlet, community — historically neutral but now sensitive due to association with 被差別部落 (historically discriminated communities); use with caution
- 里: village, hamlet — literary and nostalgic; evokes a sense of a rural hometown