Usage of 住む
The verb 住む means "to live" or "to reside" in a place. It is commonly used to talk about where someone lives, whether temporarily or permanently.
Common contexts
You will often hear 住む with locations such as cities, towns, or neighborhoods, e.g., 東京に住む (live in Tokyo). It can also express decisions about residence, like 住むことにする (decide to live).
Collocations and patterns
- 〜に住む: to live in a place
- 〜に住んでいる: to be living in a place (present continuous)
- 〜に住むことにする: to decide to live somewhere
Notes
住む is a straightforward verb for residence and does not imply ownership or renting by itself. It contrasts with verbs like 引っ越す (to move) which focus on the action of changing residence. Use 住む when emphasizing the state or fact of living somewhere.