Basho and tokoro
- Thread starter kisaragi
- Start date
- 15 Mar 2002
- 16,758
- 2,298
Tokoro can be used in the abstract, for one thing.
"Shitsu" alone doesn't mean "room". You find it at the end of words which are the names of types of rooms. 待合室 (machiaishitsu) or 休憩室 (kyuukeishitsu), for example. When read alone, that kanji is "muro", a word not often heard. To speak of rooms in a general way, 部屋 (heya) is commonly used.
"Shitsu" alone doesn't mean "room". You find it at the end of words which are the names of types of rooms. 待合室 (machiaishitsu) or 休憩室 (kyuukeishitsu), for example. When read alone, that kanji is "muro", a word not often heard. To speak of rooms in a general way, 部屋 (heya) is commonly used.
The7thSamurai
Master of the Universe
- 4 Feb 2005
- 765
- 27
As Mike said, tokoro can be used as an abstract description of a place, meaning more like a "state". Basho is just a place.
itosuru tokoro ni(e) chakuriku （意図するところに（へ）着陸する）
JimmySeal
Tubthumper
- 5 Mar 2006
- 1,516
- 78
The difference between basho and tokoro is similar to the difference between "place" and "location," in the sense that "place" comes from Old English "location" comes from Latin. Basho probably sounds slightly more sophisticated because half of it is a Chinese root. As already mentioned, tokoro has a broader range of meanings. Use basho when you want to be concrete and specific. There are many instances where both could be used equally well.
