畳じょう

じょ

う

Common wordJLPTN2Freq.FrequencyTop 10,000

Meanings

1

tatami mat counter; counter for tatami mats

Used as a counter for tatami mats, especially when expressing room size. One 畳 is typically about 1.82 sqm (in real estate) or 1.54 sqm (in other contexts).

この部屋へやは六ろく畳じょうです。

This room is six tatami mats in size.

八はち畳じょうの和わ室しつを探さがしています。

I'm looking for an eight-tatami-mat Japanese-style room.

Usage patterns

〈数すう〉畳の部屋じょうのへやa room of N tatami mats in size
六ろく畳じょうの部屋へやに住すんでいます。
I live in a six-tatami-mat room.

Grammar

一人ひとり・二に本ほん・三さん冊さつNumbers and countersN5

Kanji

畳tatami mat, counter for tatami mats, fold

Related words

帖じょう
畳 is the traditional, general-purpose counter for tatami mats, while 帖 is the same reading and meaning but used mainly in real estate listings.
坪つぼ
坪 measures land or floor area as a fixed unit (≈3.3 m²), while 畳 counts tatami mats and is used more informally to describe room size (1坪 ≈ 2畳).

Don't confuse with

帖じょう
帖 and 畳 can both serve as the counter for tatami mats (read じょう), but 畳 is the standard, everyday kanji while 帖 is a rarer alternative spelling for the same counter.
敷じき
畳 is the counter used to count tatami mats themselves, while 敷き follows a number+畳 to describe the size of a room (e.g., 六畳敷き).

Written forms

畳じょうUsage100%
Standard kanji form for the counter; also used for the noun 'tatami mat'.
ジョウUsage<1%

Etymology

From the noun 畳 (たたみ, 'tatami mat'), used as a counter. The reading じょう is the on'yomi of the kanji.