Ways to say it
| Japanese | Romanization (Wiktionary) | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| 建築物 | kenchiku butsu | [kẽ̞ɲ̟t͡ɕi̥kɯ̟bɯ̟t͡sɨ] (narrow) |
| 建屋 | tateya | [ta̠te̞ja̠] (narrow) |
| ビル | biru | [bʲiɾɯ̟] (narrow) |
Japanese uses different words for a building depending on whether you are speaking formally, referring to a large commercial structure or describing an industrial site. In daily conversation, when referring to a skyscraper or a large city building, Japanese speakers almost exclusively use the loanword ビル.
What does it mean word for word?
The word 建築物 is composed of 建築 (kenchiku), meaning 'architecture' or 'construction' and 物 (butsu), meaning 'thing' or 'object'.
Which one should you use?
While 建築物 is a formal term for any architectural structure, ビル specifically refers to large, modern, multi-story commercial or office buildings. The term 建屋 is typically used in technical, industrial or military contexts to refer to a specific building or structure on a site, such as a factory building or a barracks.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In the Tohoku region, the term たてもん can be used instead of tatemono to refer to a building.
How do you pronounce it?
kenchiku butsu
What mistakes should you avoid?
English speakers should be careful with the pitch and length of ビル (biru, building) versus ビール (biiru, beer) to avoid confusion.
Did you know?
- Because ビル (building) and ビール (beer) differ only by the length of the vowel, a short 'i' sound can accidentally turn a request for a location into a request for an alcoholic drink.
- In Japanese, the word ビル is used specifically for modern commercial structures and is almost never used to describe a residential house.
- The formal term 建築物 treats a building as a 'thing' or 'object', using the suffix 物, which is also used for things like 'clothing' or 'food'.
Examples in context
- そのビルの後ろですよ。It's at the back of the building.This sentence is useful for describing a location relative to the back of the ビル.Tatoeba #212693 by KK_kaku_, translation #49976 by CM
- ビルは20階建てです。The building has twenty floors.This sentence is useful for stating the number of floors in a ビル.Tatoeba #11808933 by small_snow, translation #452245 by enwilson
- ビルは地震で全壊した。The building was totally destroyed by the earthquake.This sentence is useful for describing the destruction of a ビル by an earthquake.Tatoeba #11922419 by small_snow, translation #49968 by jakov
- そこのビルがすごい高いでぇThat building over there is really tall!
- 54 more sentences on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Yota and Himari are looking at a historic city map.
- 陽太 Yotaこの古い建築物は何ですか。Kono furui kenchikubutsu wa nan desu ka.What is this old building?
- 陽葵 Himariそれは昔の市役所ですよ。Sore wa mukashi no shiyakusho desu yo.That was the old city hall.
- 陽太 Yotaとても美しい建築物ですね。Totemo utsukushii kenchikubutsu desu ne.It's a very beautiful building.
- 陽葵 Himariええ、ぜひ近くで見てみましょう。Ee, zehi chikaku de mite mimashou.Yes, let's definitely take a closer look.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “building” translations and entries 建築物, 建屋, ビル, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
