Translation guide
The English word "floor" has several distinct meanings. This guide covers the most common ones: the surface you walk on inside a building, a level or story of a building, and the bottom of a natural space like the ocean or a forest. It also touches on specialized uses like a dance floor or factory floor.
The flat surface at the bottom of a room that you stand or walk on.
The most common word for the floor inside a building. Refers to the physical surface, often made of wood, tatami, etc.
床に座ってください。
Please sit on the floor.
The floor is cold.
Loanword from English, often used in commercial or public contexts (e.g., "dance floor", "sales floor"). Can also mean a level of a building.
Let's dance on the dance floor.
A particular level in a building, like the first floor, second floor, etc.
Counter for floors. Used with numbers: 1階 (first floor), 2階 (second floor), etc. Note: In Japan, the ground floor is 1階, unlike some Western conventions.
My room is on the third floor.
This building has ten floors.
Also used for a floor/level, especially in hotels, offices, or when referring to a whole floor as a space.
The ground or bottom of a natural area like the sea, a forest, or a valley.
Means 'bottom' and is used for the floor of the ocean, a lake, etc. Often combined with other words.
There are mysterious creatures on the ocean floor.
The lake floor is covered with mud.
Technical term for forest floor, used in ecology.
Many plants grow on the forest floor.
An area designated for dancing, often in a club or party.
The area in a factory where production takes place.
The right or opportunity to speak in a formal discussion.
床 (yuka) is the physical surface you walk on. 階 (kai) is the counter for building levels. フロア (furoa) can mean either, but is more common in commercial settings or as a loanword for 'floor' as a space.
Saying '2階の床' (nikai no yuka) means 'the floor surface of the second floor', not 'the second floor' as a level. Use 2階 alone.
The book fell on the floor.
I live on the fourth floor.
They explored the ocean floor.
The meeting will be held on the fifth floor.
They were dancing on the dance floor.