outskirts, suburbs, rural area
郊 centers on the area just outside a city: the outskirts, suburbs, or rural fringe where urban and countryside meet.
郊 combines 交 (exchange, mix) with ⻏ (village, place). The original idea likely relates to the area where city and countryside meet or mix, i.e., the outskirts.
The left side 交 suggests crossing or mixing, and the right side ⻏ is a village. Picture the mixed zone where city streets cross into village paths: the outskirts.
For コウ, imagine a cow wandering from the village into the outskirts: cow -> コウ, and the cow is crossing the boundary.
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suburb; residential area on the outskirt of a city; commuter belt
outskirts; environs (of a city); surrounding area; surroundings
northern suburbs
southern suburbs
cross-country
cross-country race
suburbs in springtime; fields in springtime
eastern suburbs
western suburb
agriculture in urban areas
neighboring towns; neighbouring towns
area remote from the city; outlying area
suburbanization
suburbanite; suburban resident
suburban life; life in the suburbs
suburban train
suburban fields