立方体
rippōtai[ɾʲip̚po̞ːta̠i]
In Japanese, "cubes" is translated as 立方体 (rippōtai).
立方体 is used to describe the three-dimensional geometric shape consisting of six equal square faces.
What does it mean word for word?
The word is composed of the characters 立 (stand/establish), 方 (direction/side) and 体 (body/form), which literally translates to "a body with square sides."
Which one should you use?
While 立方体 is the standard term, the term 立方 (rippō) is a more formal word that refers specifically to the geometric shape of a cube.
How does it change in a sentence?
Japanese nouns do not change form for plurality, so 立方体 can mean either "cube" or "cubes" depending on the context of your sentence.
How do you pronounce it?
rippōtai
Did you know?
- When referring to 'ice cubes' in a drink, Japanese speakers rarely use 立方体 and instead use 角氷 (kakugōri), which means 'square ice'.
- Japanese uses the word サイコロ (saikoro) for 'dice', which are cubes, but this word is never used to describe the geometric shape 立方体.
- If you were to describe a 'rubik's cube' in Japanese, you would likely use the Katakana loanword キューブ (kyūbu) rather than the geometric term 立方体.
Examples in context
- この立方体はキューブです。This object is a cube.
- 子供はキューブを積み上げて遊んでいます。The children are playing by stacking cubes.
- この箱は立方体です。kono hako wa rippoutai desu.This box is a cube.
- 積み木で立方体を作りました。tsumiki de rippoutai o tsukurimashita.I made a cube with building blocks.
Example conversation
A brother and sister are playing with wooden blocks in their room.
- 陽太 Yota陽葵、この積み木は立方体かな？Himari, kono tsumiki wa rippoutai kana?Himari, I wonder if this block is a cube?
- 陽葵 Himariうん、きれいな立方体だよ、陽太兄ちゃん。un, kirei na rippoutai da yo, Youta niichan.Yes, it is a beautiful cube, Youta.
- 陽太 Yotaじゃあ、これを使ってお城を作ろう。jaa, kore o tsukatte oshiro o tsukurou.Then, let's use this to build a castle.
- 陽葵 Himariわあ、楽しみ！waa, tanoshimi!Wow, I can't wait!
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry 立方体, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
