Translation guide
A very tall building with many floors, typically found in cities. In Japanese, the most common and natural word is 高層ビル, but other terms exist for specific contexts.
The learner wants to refer to a skyscraper in everyday conversation or writing.
The standard, neutral term for a skyscraper. Literally 'high-rise building'. Used in both spoken and written Japanese.
東京には高層ビルがたくさんある。
There are many skyscrapers in Tokyo.
あの高層ビルの最上階にレストランがある。
There is a restaurant on the top floor of that skyscraper.
Emphasizes that the building is extremely tall, often used for buildings over 200 meters. More technical or emphatic than 高層ビル.
このエリアには超高層ビルが立ち並んでいる。
This area is lined with super-tall skyscrapers.
A literary or poetic term for skyscraper, literally 'sky-scraping tower'. Evokes a dramatic image, often used in fiction or metaphorical contexts.
ニューヨークの摩天楼を眺める。
Gazing at the skyscrapers of New York.
The learner wants to talk about a well-known skyscraper by name or type.
For famous skyscrapers, Japanese often uses the name followed by ビル (building). For example, エンパイアステートビル (Empire State Building). This is the most natural way to refer to specific skyscrapers.
エンパイアステートビルに登った。
I went up the Empire State Building.
あべのハルカスは日本で一番高いビルです。
Abeno Harukas is the tallest building in Japan.
The learner wants to describe a skyline or the presence of many tall buildings.
Means 'cluster of skyscrapers' or 'high-rise district'. Useful for describing a skyline.
シンガポールの高層ビル群は夜景が美しい。
The cluster of skyscrapers in Singapore is beautiful at night.
Literally 'building district', often implies an area with many tall buildings, i.e., a downtown skyline.
大阪のビル街を歩く。
Walking through the skyscraper district of Osaka.
The English word 'skyscraper' is sometimes directly borrowed as スカイスクレーパー, but this is rarely used in natural Japanese. Stick with 高層ビル or 超高層ビル.
高層ビル is the general term for any high-rise building, roughly over 10 stories. 超高層ビル is used for extremely tall buildings, typically over 200 meters, and is more common in technical or news contexts.