N4 Vocabulary: Places & transport — 24 words with memory tricks

2026-08-04 · Memoro

N4 place words are basically a map plus a train station: administrative units (市 city, 都 metropolis, ～区 ward, ～町 town), areas (田舎 countryside, 郊外 suburb, 近所 neighbourhood) and travel words (急行 express, 特急 limited express, 空港 airport). 24 words, grouped by administration, transport and places to visit.

場所

ばしょ

basho

place, location

💡 場 (grounds) + 所 (place) → place, location. basho.

世界

せかい

sekai

world

💡 世 (world, generation) + 界 (boundary) → the world. sekai.

市

し

shi

city

💡 市 = market → city. shi, as in 大阪市 (Osaka City).

都

と

metropolitan

💡 都 = capital, metropolis. to — only Tokyo uses it: 東京都.

～区

～く

~ku

~ district, ~ ward, ~ borough

💡 ~ku = ward, district, e.g. 渋谷区 (Shibuya Ward).

～町

～ちょう

~chō

the town of ~

💡 ~chō / ~machi = town, neighbourhood block. Note the 田 (rice field) inside: fields cluster into a town.

田舎

いなか

inaka

rural, countryside

💡 田 (rice field) + 舎 (hut) → a hut among the fields = countryside. Irregular reading: inaka.

郊外

こうがい

kōgai

suburb, outskirts

💡 郊 (outskirts) + 外 (outside) → suburb, outskirts. kōgai.

近所

きんじょ

kinjo

neighborhood

💡 近 (near) + 所 (place) → neighbourhood. kinjo. Same 近 as 近い (near).

通り

とおり

tōri

~ Street, ~ Avenue

💡 From 通る (tōru, to pass through) → a place you pass along = street. tōri.

途中

とちゅう

tochū

on the way, midway

💡 途 (route) + 中 (middle) → on the way, halfway. tochū.

交通

こうつう

kōtsū

traffic, transportation

💡 交 (cross, exchange) + 通 (pass) → traffic, transport. kōtsū.

乗り物

のりもの

norimono

vehicle

💡 乗る (to ride) + 物 (thing) → a thing you ride = vehicle. norimono.

急行

きゅうこう

kyūkō

express train or bus

💡 急 (hurry) + 行 (go) → an express train that skips small stations. kyūkō.

特急

とっきゅう

tokkyū

limited express (train faster than an express)

💡 Short for 特別急行 = "special express" → limited express, faster than 急行. tokkyū.

空港

くうこう

kūkō

airport

💡 空 (sky) + 港 (port) → a port in the sky = airport. kūkō. Older word: 飛行場.

港

みなと

minato

harbor, port

💡 港 = harbour, port. minato — the same kanji inside 空港.

駐車場

ちゅうしゃじょう

chūshajō

parking lot

💡 駐 (park, station) + 車 (car) + 場 (grounds) → car park. chūshajō.

出発

しゅっぱつ

shuppatsu

departure

💡 出 (go out) + 発 (depart) → departure. shuppatsu. Opposite: 到着 (arrival).

寺

てら

tera

Buddhist temple

💡 寺 = Buddhist temple. tera on its own; ~ji in names (金閣寺 Kinkaku-ji).

神社

じんじゃ

jinja

Shinto shrine

💡 神 (god) + 社 (shrine) → Shinto shrine. jinja — look for the torii gate.

教会

きょうかい

kyōkai

church

💡 教 (teach) + 会 (meet) → where the faith gathers = church. kyōkai.

美術館

びじゅつかん

bijutsukan

art gallery, art museum

💡 美術 (fine art) + 館 (hall) → art museum. bijutsukan. 館 = big building: 図書館, 旅館.

工場

こうじょう

kōjō

factory

💡 工 (craft, work) + 場 (grounds) → factory. kōjō.

Memory tricks

Japanese addresses go big to small: 都/市 → ～区 → ～町, e.g. 東京都 → 渋谷区 → 〜町.
Trains, slowest to fastest: 急行 (express) < 特急 (limited express = 特別急行). The 特 means "special", so it is the faster one.
場 = "grounds, place" shows up everywhere: 場所 (place), 工場 (factory), 駐車場 (car park), 飛行場 (airfield). And 港 = "port"; add 空 (sky) for 空港 = airport.
Three places of worship: 寺 = Buddhist temple, 神社 = Shinto shrine, 教会 = church. Torii gate → 神社; incense and a bell → 寺.
Verb-derived nouns: 通り from 通る (to pass), 乗り物 from 乗る (to ride), 出発 from 出る (to leave). Drill them with spaced repetition in Memoro.

→ See all N4 Places & transport vocabulary

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