Japanese word

坪

Pronunciation

Romajitsubo

Meaning

  • nountsubo

Example

この部屋は八坪です。ko no heya wa hachi tsubo de su

This room is eight tsubo.

Illustration for 坪 (tsubo)

More examples

この店は三十坪あります。ko no mise wa san jū tsubo a ri ma su

This shop is thirty tsubo in size.

Core concept

Names the traditional Japanese unit used to express the size of a plot of land or a building floor.

Common phrases

  • 坪単価tsubo tan ka

    price per tsubo

  • 一坪あたりichi tsubo a ta ri

    per tsubo

Similar words

畳tatami: A unit of room area based on the size of a traditional Japanese floor mat.
平方メートルheihōmētoru: A metric unit of area equal to the area of a square measuring one meter on each side.

Definition in Japanese

土地や建物の床面積を示す、日本で用いられてきた面積の単位で、約三・三平方メートルに相当するもの。to chi ya tate mono no yuka men seki o shime su nihon de mochi i ra re te ki ta men seki no tan i de yaku san san hei hō mē to ru ni sō tō su ru mo no

Word origin

The character 坪 (tsubo, "area unit") is formed from 土 (do, "earth") as its meaning element and 平 (hei, "flat") as its sound element, linking the written form to a flat plot of land.

Usage tips

  • In casual Japanese, room size is often discussed in 畳 (jō), while land and building areas are commonly given in 坪 (tsubo).

Related words

  • 坪数tsubosūfloor area in tsubonoun

Word lists with this word