楼房

• Pinyin: lóu fáng
• Hanzi breakdown: 楼 = 木 (wood) + 娄, multi-story building; 房 = 户 + 方, house/room

Meaning

Multi-story building; a building with two or more floors.

Generic term for any building with multiple stories, contrasted with 平房 (single-story house). Used in urban planning and real estate. Common phrases: 高楼房 (tall buildings), 楼房建设 (building construction). In rural China, having a 楼房 was traditionally a sign of prosperity.

Examples

1. 城市里到处都是高高的楼房，很少看到平房了。 The city is full of tall multi-story buildings; you rarely see single-story houses anymore.
2. 他们村里盖起了很多新楼房，变化太大了。 Many new multi-story buildings have been built in their village; it's changed so much.
3. 这栋楼房有二十层，是我们小区最高的建筑。 This building has twenty floors; it's the tallest structure in our residential complex.

Usage Guide

Context: housing, urban development, real estate

Tone: descriptive

Do Say

• 他住在一栋老楼房里。(He lives in an old multi-story building.)
• 现在农村也建了很多楼房。(Now there are many multi-story buildings in rural areas too.)

Don't Say

• 把楼房和公寓混用 (楼房 is the physical building; 公寓 is an apartment unit within)

Origin & History

Compound of 楼 (building with multiple floors) + 房 (house/room). A house that is also a multi-story building.

Cultural Context

Generation: All ages

Social background: Universal