土間(どま)

どま
noun
dirt floor
buildingculture
1. dirt floor
an earthen or unfloored entrance area in a traditional Japanese house
土間(どま)で靴(くつ)を脱(ぬ)ぐ。
Take off your shoes in the entryway.
古(ふる)い民家(みんか)には土間(どま)がある。
Old traditional houses have dirt-floored entryways.
土間(どま)から上(あ)がって座敷(ざしき)に通(とお)る。
Step up from the dirt floor area and pass into the tatami room.

Cultural note

In traditional Japanese homes, the 土間(どま) is the entrance area at ground level with a packed earth or concrete floor. Visitors remove their shoes here before stepping up (上(あ)がる) to the wooden or tatami-floored living areas.

Functions

  • Entry point where shoes are removed
  • In farmhouses: workspace for agricultural tasks, cooking
  • In merchant homes: reception area for customers

Usage

  • Modern homes still have an entry area (usually called 玄関(げんかん))
  • 土間(どま) specifically refers to traditional earth-floored spaces
  • Some modern designs revive 土間(どま) as a design element

RELATED WORDS (architecture):

Related words

Related Words

Related: 玄関(げんかん) (Entryway)
Related: 上(あ)がる (To step up)
Related: 三和土(たたき) (Packed earth floor)
Related: 上(あ)がり框(がまち) (The step/threshold to floored area)
general
Added 2026.1.21 20:33 · Revised 2026.10.12 4:54
07500/07849_doma