How to say "roof" in Japanese

Choosing the right word

屋根やねJLPT N3approx.Common
nounThe ordinary word for the roof of a building — the top covering of a house, school, station, or similar structure. This is the word you want in most everyday contexts.
彼かれは屋根やねの雪ゆきを取り除とりのぞいた。↗
He cleared the roof of snow.
ルーフCommon
nounThe loanword from English 'roof'. It is the usual term for the roof of a car and appears in fixed technical terms; for the roof of a house, 屋根 is the natural choice.

Use 屋根 for the roof of a building or house; 「ルーフ」 is the loanword from English, used mainly for a car's roof and in fixed technical terms, not as the everyday word for a building's roof.

Usage comparisons are AI-assisted and cross-checked by multiple models; for study reference only

Japanese equivalents

屋根やねroof
ルーフroof
葺くふくto roof (a house with some material)
天盤てんばんroof
屋おくroof
屋やroof

JLPT vocabulary levels are community estimates, not official (no official lists have been published since the 2010 revision).

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