1.
lintel; upper door rail
in traditional Japanese architecture, the horizontal wooden beam above a doorway or opening that contains the upper groove for sliding doors (fusuma or shoji)
背が高くて鴨居に頭をぶつけた。
I'm tall and bumped my head on the lintel.
襖が鴨居から外れてしまった。
The fusuma came off the lintel track.
古い家の鴨居は低いので気をつけてください。
The lintels in old houses are low, so please be careful.
ARCHITECTURE:
The 鴨居 is the upper horizontal beam in traditional Japanese rooms, while the 敷居 (threshold) is the lower beam. Together they form the frame for sliding doors like 襖 and 障子.
CULTURAL NOTE:
Older Japanese houses often have low 鴨居, designed for people of shorter average height in earlier eras. Tall visitors frequently bump their heads.
RELATED TERMS:
- 敷居 (threshold; lower door rail)
- 襖 (fusuma sliding door)
- 障子 (shoji paper screen door)