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Japanese vocabulary · Beginner
How do you say "tower" in Japanese?
塔
tou
In Japanese, "tower" is 塔 (tou).
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Pronunciation
Pronounce tou, a single syllable with the vowel held out long, rising in pitch slightly like the tower itself.
Writing and usage
塔 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
塔は街の上にそびえ立っていた。
tou ha machi no ueni sobie tatsu teita.
The tower rose above the city.
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How to remember 塔
Tou is short but tall-sounding if you stretch the vowel upward, matching how a tower reaches skyward.
Related words
- library 図書館 toshokan
- museum 博物館 hakubutsukan
- theater 劇場 gekijou
- cinema 映画 eiga
- stadium スタジアム sutajiamu
- gym ジム jimu
- pool プール puuru
- church 教会 kyoukai
- temple 寺院 jiin
Browse all Japanese words in the glossary.
Questions about 塔
How do you pronounce 塔?
Pronounce tou, a single syllable with the vowel held out long, rising in pitch slightly like the tower itself.
Is 塔 formal or casual?
塔 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 塔 written in Japanese?
塔 is written using kanji. Romanised, it reads as tou.
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.
"Tower" in other languages
Curated by Callan 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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