地下室
chikashitsu[t͡ɕi̥ka̠ɕi̥t͡sɨ]
The Japanese word for "basement" is 地下室 (chikashitsu).
The term refers to a floor or room located below ground level.
Meaning: floor below ground level (noun)
How do you pronounce it?
chikashitsu
Did you know?
- Residential 地下室 are rare in Japan because the high water table and seismic activity make them expensive and risky to build.
- While 地下室 is the word for a basement room, Japanese cities often feature 地下街, which are massive underground shopping malls and walkways that span entire districts.
- In Japanese pop culture and anime, a 地下室 is often used as a trope for a secret laboratory or a hidden lair for a villain.
Examples in context
- 地下室に行け。Go to the basement.This sentence is useful for practicing the command to go to the 地下室.Tatoeba #10660111 by small_snow, translation #10142355 by ddnktr
- 地下室が水浸しだぞ。The basement is flooded.This sentence is useful for describing a 地下室 that is flooded.Tatoeba #10659695 by small_snow, translation #9171166 by CK
- 地下室に隠れました。I hid in the basement.This sentence is useful for stating that one hid in the 地下室.Tatoeba #12439996 by small_snow, translation #5860541 by CK
- 4 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Ren and Himari are looking at a house layout.
- 蓮 Renこの家の地下室は広いね。Kono ie no chikashitsu wa hiroi ne.The basement of this house is spacious, isn't it?
- 陽葵 Himari本当。すごく使いやすそう。Hontou. Sugoku tsukaiyasasou.True. It looks very easy to use.
- 蓮 Ren陽葵なら、あそこでピアノが弾けるよ。Himari nara, asoko de piano ga hikeru yo.Himari, you could play the piano there.
- 陽葵 Himariそれは素敵だね！Sore wa suteki dane!That would be wonderful!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “basement” translations and entries 地下室, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
