二階建(にかいだ)て

二階建(にかいだ)て describes a building with two floors. It functions as a noun and also modifies nouns with の (二階建(にかいだ)ての家(いえ)).

Forms

二階(にかい) (second floor) + 建(だ)て (built structure). The 建(だ)て suffix indicates the number of stories.

COUNTING PATTERNS (number of stories):

• 一階建(いっかいだ)て: one-story
• 二階建(にかいだ)て: two-story (this word)
• 三階建(さんかいだ)て: three-story
• 五階建(ごかいだ)て: five-story

Common collocations

• 二階建(にかいだ)ての家(いえ): two-story house
• 二階建(にかいだ)てバス: double-decker bus
• 二階建(にかいだ)ての一軒家(いっけんや): two-story detached house

Usage

Most residential houses in Japanese suburbs are 二階建(にかいだ)て. The typical layout has living areas on the 一階(いっかい) (first floor) and bedrooms on the 二階(にかい) (second floor).