灯台(とうだい)

とうだい
noun
lighthouse
buildingtransportation
1. lighthouse
A tower with a powerful light that guides ships at sea.
灯台(とうだい)の光(ひかり)が見(み)える。
I can see the lighthouse's light.
岬(みさき)の先(さき)に灯台(とうだい)がある。
There is a lighthouse at the tip of the cape.
灯台(とうだい)下(もと)暗(くら)し。
It's dark at the foot of the lighthouse. (Proverb: One fails to see what is close at hand.)
古(ふる)い灯台(とうだい)が観光(かんこう)スポットとして人気(にんき)がある。
The old lighthouse is popular as a tourist spot.
夜(よる)の海(うみ)で灯台(とうだい)の光(ひかり)が船(ふね)の安全(あんぜん)を守(まも)っている。
The lighthouse's light protects ships on the nighttime sea.

Common expressions

  • 灯台(とうだい)守(もり): lighthouse keeper
  • 灯台(とうだい)の光(ひかり): lighthouse light
  • 灯台(とうだい)下(もと)暗(くら)し (toudai moto kurashi): "It's dark at the foot of the lighthouse." Meaning: people often fail to notice what is right under their nose. The 灯台(とうだい) of the proverb was originally an old indoor oil-lamp stand, whose base cast a shadow, not a lighthouse; most speakers today picture the lighthouse.

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Related Words

Compare: 展望塔(てんぼうとう) (observation tower)
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Added 2026.1.14 9:33 · Revised 2026.10.3 22:33
04500/04560_toudai