I've been studying kanjis for the JLPT and I still can't understand when 区 is
used. The textbook only said that that kanji means area but it doesn't have
examples. I found one like this on the internet:

>   * 東京23区
>
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question
kanji
When is this kanji 区 used in an "area" context?
区 is translated as _ward_. 東京23区 are the core 23 special wards in Tokyo
Prefecture, which do not belong to any 市町村 (city, town or village). Some large
cities in other prefectures also have 区 as subdivisions of 市.

See:

  * [Administrative divisions of Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Administrative_divisions_of_Japan)
  * [Special wards of Tokyo](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special_wards_of_Tokyo)  
(e.g., 東京都渋谷区千駄ヶ谷 = Sendagaya, Shibuya Ward, Tokyo Prefecture)

  * [Wards of Japan](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wards_of_Japan)  
(e.g., 静岡県浜松市中区 = Naka Ward, Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefcture)

* * *

**EDIT:** 区 can also refer to a subdivision of a city in many foreign
countries. Such subdivisions are called under various names, but 区 is the
kanji generally used in Japanese.

  * The 32 London boroughs are called ロンドン自治区.
  * The 5 boroughs of New York Cities are called 区 (e.g., ブルックリン区).
  * The 12 boroughs/districts/Bezirke of Berlin, Germany are 区 or 行政区.
  * The 21 districts/distritos of Madrid, Spain are 区 or 行政区.
  * Some French cities have [municipal arrondissements](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Municipal_arrondissements_of_France), which are called 区 in Japanese.

When used in a compound, it can have even broader sense (区域 is "district" in
general).
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answer