How to say "ceiling" in Japanese
Choosing the right word
- 天井てんじょうnounThe ordinary word for the physical ceiling of a room or building. Use this whenever you mean the surface overhead, as in a room with a high ceiling.
- nounA loanword that appears chiefly in set expressions borrowed from English, such as シーリングライト (a ceiling light). For the ceiling itself, 天井 is the word you want.
Use 天井 for the physical ceiling of a room; use 「シーリング」 mainly as a loanword in fixed contexts such as シーリングライト, where the native word is not used.
Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only
Japanese equivalents
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