This is the 4241st most frequent Japanese word.
住
"住" means "to reside" or "to live."
The word 『住』(すむ, sumu) is used here in its verb form to express the act of residing in a location.
私は東京に住んでいます。
I live in Tokyo.
In this sentence, 『住』appears as past tense 『住んだ』to describe the action of having lived somewhere at a past time.
このアパートに住んだことがあります。
I have lived in this apartment before.
The verb 『住む』is extended with 『続ける』to form 『住み続ける』, indicating the ongoing action of residing, emphasizing continuity.