small inner garden; courtyard garden
Refers to a tiny, enclosed garden, often found in traditional Japanese townhouses (machiya) or between buildings, designed for viewing rather than entering.
Many traditional townhouses in Kyoto have a small inner garden.
I placed a small stone lantern in the courtyard garden.
Standard kanji spelling for a small inner garden or courtyard.
Variant kanji spelling using 壺 (jar/pot), evoking the enclosed nature of the garden. Less common than 坪庭.
Compound of 坪 (tsubo, a unit of area about 3.3 m², implying a small space) and 庭 (niwa, garden). The alternate kanji 壺 (tsubo, jar/pot) reinforces the image of an enclosed, container-like garden.