A horizontal structural member supporting a floor, ceiling, or roof. Used in architecture, carpentry, and engineering contexts.
They laid a thick beam across the ceiling.
The beams in this old house are made of fine timber.
There is a crack in the ceiling beam.
This beam supports the roof.
In old Japanese houses, the beams are often left exposed.
The carpenters were working on framing the beams.
梁 is a horizontal beam supporting a floor or roof, while 柱 is the vertical pillar that holds it up.
梁 refers to any horizontal beam or joist in general, while 桁 specifically denotes a larger, principal girder that often carries the 梁 themselves.
book; volume; script · this; present; current; in question · main; head; principal · real; genuine; regular; proper · counter for long cylindrical objects; counter for films, TV shows, etc.; counter for goals, home runs, etc.; counter for telephone calls
beam depth; height of a beam
horizontal beam; stringpiece; trave
footing beam
cantilever
Standard kanji spelling for a structural beam or joist.
Kana spelling is common in everyday writing, especially when the kanji is not essential.
The kanji 梁 originally referred to a bridge or a beam spanning a gap. The reading はり is a native Japanese word for a beam or crosspiece.