Japanese word

土木

Pronunciation

Romajidoboku

Meaning

  • nouncivil engineering

Example

兄は土木を勉強しています。ani wa do boku o ben kyō shi te i ma su

My older brother studies civil engineering.

Illustration for 土木 (civil engineering)

More examples

大雨の後、土木工事が始まりました。ō ame no ato do boku kō ji ga haji ma ri ma shi ta

After the heavy rain, civil engineering work began.

Core concept

Refers to organized work that changes the land and creates the infrastructure needed for communities to function.

Common phrases

  • 土木工事do boku kō ji

    civil engineering work

  • 土木を学ぶdo boku o mana bu

    study civil engineering

  • 土木技術do boku gi jutsu

    civil engineering technology

Similar words

建設kensetsu: The process of creating buildings, facilities, and other physical structures.
建築kenchiku: The planning and building of structures, especially houses and other buildings.

Definition in Japanese

土地を整え、道路・橋・ダムなどの社会基盤を造る工事や技術。to chi o totono e dō ro hashi da mu na do no sha kai ki ban o tsuku ru kō ji ya gi jutsu

Word origin

土木 (doboku) combines 土 (do, "earth") with 木 (boku, "wood"), naming construction work based on these fundamental materials.

Usage tips

  • 土木 (doboku) often appears in formal and technical language about infrastructure, so it can signal a specialized topic in Japanese reading passages.

Other meanings

  • public worksnoun

Word lists with this word