enclosure, quarters, fortification, red-light district
On'yomi (音読み)
- カク
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- くるわ
About this kanji
The kanji "郭," pronounced as "kaku" in on'yomi and "kurawa" in kun'yomi, primarily means enclosure or fortification. It often appears in nouns rather than verbs. For example, "輪郭" (rinkaku) means contour, describing the outline of an object, while "外郭団体" (gaikaku dantai) refers to an auxiliary organization that operates alongside larger groups. Another notable compound is "遊郭" (yuukaku), which denotes a licensed red-light district. A usage note is that while "郭" can imply the concept of containment, it can also be linked to historic or ceremonial enclosures, adding a layer of meaning to its applications.
Example sentences
城郭は歴史の証人だ。
The castle walls are witnesses of history.
Meanings across languages
- English
- enclosure, quarters, fortification, red-light district
- Tiếng Việt
- khu vực
- 日本語
- 郭
- 한국어
- 구역
- 中文
- 郭
- id
- penghalang
- th
- บริเวณ
- es
- enclosure
- fr
- enclos
- de
- Eingrenzung
- pt
- cerca
Common compounds
- 輪郭りんかくcontour, outline, silhouette
- 外郭団体がいかくだんたいauxiliary organization (organisation), extra-departmental body, fringe organization
- 遊郭ゆうかく(licensed) red light district
- 外郭がいかくouter fence, outer enclosure, outer block
- 城郭じょうかくcastle, citadel, fortress
- 一郭いっかくone block, enclosure
- 郭公かっこうcommon cuckoo (Cuculus canorus)
- 胸郭きょうかくchest, thorax
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