ridgepole, ridge
On'yomi (音読み)
- トウ
Kun'yomi (訓読み)
- むね
- むな-
About this kanji
The kanji 「棟」 primarily means 'ridgepole' or 'ridge,' referring to the beam that supports the roof of a building. It’s mainly used as a noun. You will often see it in compounds like 病棟 (びょうとう), which means 'hospital ward,' and 棠梁 (とうりょう), meaning 'central figure' or 'leader.' Another example is 別棟 (べつむね), which indicates a 'separate building.' A practical usage note: in construction or architecture, this kanji often relates to different parts of a structure, emphasizing its importance in discussing buildings or houses.
Example sentences
新しい棟が建設中だ。
A new building is under construction.
Meanings across languages
- English
- ridgepole, ridge
- Tiếng Việt
- kèo, đỉnh
- 日本語
- 棟梁, 棟
- 한국어
- 지붕, 능선
- 中文
- 屋脊, 脊
- id
- gubuk, puncak
- th
- จั่ว, แนวเตี้ย
- es
- cumbre, cordón
- fr
- faîte, poutre faîtière
- de
- First, Längsweg
- pt
- cume, pico
Common compounds
- 病棟びょうとう(hospital) ward
- 棟梁とうりょうcentral figure, pillar (e.g. of the nation), mainstay
- 別棟べつむねseparate building, outbuilding, outhouse
- 上棟じょうとうraising the ridgepole
- 一棟ひとむねone house, the same house
- 棟木むなぎridgepole, ridge beam
- 棟瓦むながわらridge tile
- 翼棟よくとうwing (of a building)
Want to actually learn this kanji?
The dictionary is one view. The Kanji 360 app wraps every character with mnemonic images, audio readings, stroke-order animation, story context, and SRS scheduling — free to start on iPhone, iPad, and Android.