also: あがりくち
noun
entrance; entryway
Specifically the entrance area of a traditional Japanese house or room where one steps up from the earthen floor (doma) to the raised floor. Often used for the genkan-like space in older buildings.
古い家の上がり口で靴を脱いだ。
I took off my shoes at the entrance of the old house.
上がり口に座って庭を眺める。
Sit at the entrance step and gaze at the garden.
玄関 is the standard modern word for entrance or genkan in a house or building. 上がり口 is more specific to the step-up area in traditional architecture and may sound rustic or nostalgic.
Compound of 上がり (agari, 'going up', noun form of 上がる) and 口 (kuchi, 'opening, entrance'). Literally 'the opening where one goes up', referring to the step from the earthen floor to the raised floor in a traditional Japanese house.