Tsugaru (つがる市, Tsugaru-shi?) is a city located in northeastern Aomori Prefecture in Tōhoku region of Japan. As of April 2012, the city had an estimated population of 36,216 and a population density of 143 persons per km². Its total area was 253.85 km². The city's name is atypical for a Japanese place name in that it is written in hiragana rather than kanji (see hiragana cities).