1.
rural area; county district; area outside incorporated cities
In Japanese administrative geography, the areas of a prefecture that lie outside incorporated cities (市). These are the towns (町) and villages (村) organized under county (郡) groupings. Often used as a contrast to 市部 (urban areas).
郡部の人口が減少している。
The population in rural areas is declining.
市部と郡部では生活スタイルが大きく異なる。
Lifestyles differ greatly between urban and rural areas.
この県では郡部に住む高齢者への医療サービスが課題になっている。
In this prefecture, medical services for elderly people living in rural areas have become a challenge.
Composed of 郡 (county/district) + 部 (area/section). In Japan's administrative system, prefectures are divided into 市 (cities) and 郡 (counties), with the counties containing 町 (towns) and 村 (villages).
COMMON COLLOCATIONS:
- 市部と郡部: urban and rural areas
- 郡部の人口: rural population
- 郡部に住む: to live in a rural area
- 郡部出身: from a rural area
SIMILAR WORDS:
- 田舎: countryside; rural area — the everyday word, can be slightly condescending
- 地方: provinces; regional area — broader, means anywhere outside major cities
- 市部: urban area; city districts — the direct opposite of 郡部
- 僻地: remote area — more extreme, implies difficulty of access