階

• 読み: かい
• ローマ字: kai
• 漢字の分解: 階 (kai) — 阝 (hill) + 皆 (all); staircase, floor level
• 発音: /ka.i/

意味

Storey; story; floor. Used to indicate which level of a building something is on.

Used both as a standalone noun and as a counter suffix for building floors. Japanese counting starts with 一階 (いっかい, first floor/ground floor). Unlike British English where the ground floor is separate from the first floor, Japanese 一階 corresponds to the ground level. Counting: 一階 (いっかい), 二階 (にかい), 三階 (さんがい — irregular reading).

例文

1. トイレは二階にあります。
2. このビルは十階建てです。
3. 三階のレストランで食べましょう。

使い方ガイド

場面: buildings, directions, shopping

トーン: neutral

起源と歴史

The kanji 階 combines 阝 (hill/mound radical) and 皆 (all/everyone), originally meaning steps or a staircase ascending a hill. The meaning extended to floors of a building.

文化的背景

時代: Ancient

世代: All ages

社会的背景: Universal