美術館
bijutsukan[bʲiʑɨt͡sɨkã̠ɴ]
The Japanese phrase for 'art museum' is 美術館 (bijutsukan).
美術館 is used to describe a building dedicated to the display and storage of works of art for public viewing.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of three parts: 美 (beauty), 術 (art/technique) and 館 (building/hall).
How does it change in a sentence?
美術館 is a noun that does not change its form for singular or plural usage.
How do you pronounce it?
bijutsukan
Did you know?
- Many Japanese 美術館 employ guards who use a very specific, polite form of language called 'keigo' to guide visitors, which is significantly more formal than standard polite Japanese.
- In Japanese, the character 館 used in 美術館 also appears in 図書館 for 'library' and 映画館 for 'movie theater', marking them all as specific types of public halls.
- Visitors to a 美術館 in Japan often encounter 'museum shops' that sell high-quality, themed stationery and regional crafts, which are far more integrated into the experience than in some Western museums.
Examples in context
- 美術館は何時に閉まりますか？When does the art museum close?This sentence is useful for asking about the closing time of the 美術館.Tatoeba #10647264 by small_snow, translation #3825705 by CK
- このバスは美術館に行きますか？Does this bus go to the art museum?This sentence is useful for asking if a bus goes to the 美術館.Tatoeba #10647209 by small_snow, translation #7784950 by CK
- 彼女はタクシーで美術館に行った。She went to the art museum by taxi.This sentence is useful for describing a trip to the 美術館 by taxi.Tatoeba #1211922 by bunbuku, translation #4790387 by CK
- 東京には美術館（びじゅつかん）がたくさんあります。There are many art museums in Tokyo.
- 2 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Kenta and Himari are deciding what to do on their date.
- 健太 Kenta新しい美術館に行ってみない？Atarashii bijutsukan ni itte minai?Shall we go to the new art museum?
- 陽葵 Himariいいですね、ぜひ行きましょう。Ii desu ne, zehi ikimashou.That sounds good, let's definitely go.
- 健太 Kenta陽葵さんは、絵を見るのが好きですか？Himari-san wa, e o miru no ga suki desu ka?Himari, do you like looking at paintings?
- 陽葵 Himariはい、大好きです！Hai, daisuki desu!Yes, I love it!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 美術館, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
