How do you say "pier" in Japanese?

桟橋

sanbashi

Noun Kanji

In Japanese, "pier" is 桟橋 (sanbashi).

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Pronunciation

Sahn-bah-shee, three syllables with the stress dipping slightly on the middle 'ba' before rising again.

Writing and usage

桟橋 is written using kanji. It's a noun, and this word is also taught inside the Noun Town language learning game, where it appears in interactive lessons alongside hundreds of other everyday words.

Example sentence

私たちは桟橋の端まで歩いた。

watashitachi ha sanbashi no haji made arui ta.

We walked to the end of the pier.

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How to remember 桟橋

Sanbashi has no English echo, so picture three (san can suggest 'three' in other contexts) wooden bridges reaching out to sea.

Related words

Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.

Questions about 桟橋

How do you pronounce 桟橋?

Sahn-bah-shee, three syllables with the stress dipping slightly on the middle 'ba' before rising again.

Is 桟橋 formal or casual?

桟橋 is a neutral, everyday word that works in both casual and polite speech. The level of formality comes from the sentence structure around it, not from the word itself.

How is 桟橋 written in Japanese?

桟橋 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as sanbashi.

Where can I practice Japanese words for free?

You can play free Japanese minigames in your browser on the Noun Town online games page, with no sign-up needed. Every word in the Japanese glossary also has native audio and an example sentence you can revisit any time.

"Pier" in other languages

Curated by Jack Ratcliffe

This word is part of the vocabulary taught in the Japanese language learning game Noun Town, where words are introduced through play rather than memorisation. Want to play the full game? Get Noun Town on Steam.

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