らせん階段(かいだん)

らせんかいだん
noun
spiral staircase
building
1. spiral staircase; winding stairs
A staircase that turns around a central axis as it rises. Found in towers, lighthouses, and narrow buildings where a straight flight would not fit.
らせん階段(かいだん)を上(のぼ)った。
I went up the spiral staircase.
この店(みせ)は二階(にかい)へらせん階段(かいだん)でつながっている。
This shop is connected to the second floor by a spiral staircase.
灯台(とうだい)のらせん階段(かいだん)は急(きゅう)で、上(うえ)まで登(のぼ)ると息(いき)が切(き)れた。
The lighthouse's spiral staircase was steep, and I was out of breath by the time I reached the top.

らせん (spiral, helix) + 階段(かいだん) (stairs). らせん is normally written in kana; the kanji 螺旋(らせん) appears mostly in older or decorative text.

Common collocations

  • らせん階段(かいだん)を上(のぼ)る／下(お)りる: to go up/down a spiral staircase
  • 鉄(てつ)のらせん階段(かいだん): an iron spiral staircase
  • らせん状(じょう): spiral-shaped (the same らせん used of anything that coils)

Similar words

Related Words

Related: 階段(かいだん)
general
Added 2026.8.6 18:19 · Revised 2026.9.2 13:02
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