公園
Meaning in Englishpark
Animated kanji stroke order
Related sentences
Word context
What it means
公園 (kouen) means a public park; it refers to a designated outdoor area managed for public recreation, relaxation, and greenery, typically featuring lawns, trees, walking paths, playgrounds, and benches and serving as a communal urban green space for everyday leisure and community activities.
Main meanings
- 1. A municipal or community green space used for casual recreation distinct from private gardens or formal botanical gardens.
- 2. A named location used as a placename suffix in addresses or local directions.
- 3. Informally used to describe any open, park-like area such as riverside promenades or school playgrounds when the context is clear.
How to use it
Used broadly in everyday speech and formal contexts to name or refer to municipal parks, appear on maps and signage, and describe sites for picnics, exercise, children’s play, festivals or seasonal viewing; the word is neutral in register and common in both casual conversation and official writing, and it frequently appears as part of place names.
Variants and close terms
- 庭園 (teien) — garden, often a designed or private garden with aesthetic focus
- 緑地 (ryokuchi) — green space, emphasizes vegetation and conservation rather than recreation
- 遊園地 (yuuenchi) — amusement park, recreational facility with rides (different sense)
Composition
- 公 (kou): public, official, communal; conveys idea of being for everyone.
- 園 (en): garden, park, enclosed space for plants or recreation; together they form the compound meaning 'public garden/park'.
Origin
The modern concept of public parks in Japan emerged during the Meiji era as part of urban modernization; early examples like Ueno Park in Tokyo were established in the 1870s when Western-style public green spaces were adopted for leisure, civic use, and public health, leading to the institutional use of 公園 (kouen) in municipal planning.
Word class
noun (名詞)