noun
Refers to a horizontal structural member in architecture, bridges, or shipbuilding. In everyday contexts, 梁 (はり) is more common for beams in houses.
橋の桁が老朽化で補強された。
The bridge girders were reinforced due to aging.
この建物の桁には古い木材が使われている。
Old timber is used for the beams in this building.
noun
digit; place; order of magnitude
Used in mathematics and everyday expressions to talk about numerical digits, decimal places, or orders of magnitude. Common in phrases like 桁が違う (be on a completely different level).
この数字は何桁ですか。
How many digits does this number have?
彼の年収は私とは桁が違う。
His annual income is on a completely different order of magnitude from mine.
The kanji 桁 combines 木 (tree/wood) and 行 (go/line), suggesting a wooden crosspiece. The numerical sense likely developed from the idea of notches or marks on a counting rod or abacus beam.