乡

鄉
xiāng
#920 most
frequent character
country, countryside, village
noun

Character breakdown

Source: Make Me a Hanzi.

乡 is an abbreviated 鄉. The old drawing showed two kneeling people facing each other around a bronze bowl, sharing a meal; that gave the first meaning, people eating together. The countryside sense was borrowed for its sound; township and native place grew later. The Simplified form keeps just 乡.

Drawn as: two kneeling people; shared meal; bronze bowl

乡 as a component in other characters

meaning1 character
飨
sound2 characters
飨芗

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Example Sentences

我的家乡在一个美丽的乡村。
wǒde jiāxiāng zài yígè měilì de xiāngcūn 。
My hometown is in a beautiful village.
每年我都回乡看望我的亲戚。
měinián wǒ dū huí xiāng kànwàng wǒde qīnqī 。
Every year I return to my hometown to visit my relatives.
这个乡的风景非常优美，吸引了很多游客。
zhègè xiāng de fēngjǐng fēicháng yōuměi ， xīyǐn le hěnduō yóukè 。
The scenery in this countryside is very beautiful, attracting many tourists.

Words with similar meanings

村cūn
village
More specific to a small group of houses in a rural area.
乡村xiāngcūn
countryside
Emphasizes the rural area and natural environment.

Homophones

HSK 4
香xiāng
fragrant, sweet smelling, aromatic
箱xiāng
chest, box, case, trunk
相xiāng
each other, one another, mutually

Words Starting With 乡

乡镇xiāng zhèn
village; township

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